Tony Pollard scores against the Texans.

-- Ap Photo/Maria Lysaker

It’s too early to say that Will Levis is a franchise quarterback, though there has been clear progress from him in the past three weeks.

It’s also pretty easy to figure out that Levis is much better when he is getting the needed help from the rest of the offense.

After the Titans running game was missing in action against the Minnesota Vikings, veteran Tony Pollard provided a big assist Sunday for his young quarterback, rushing for 119 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, an effort that provided much needed balance for Levis and the passing game.

Coach Brian Callahan had warned all week the Titans could not afford to find themselves in long yardage situations. They survived a few of those Sunday, but most of the time the obvious passing situations were not the Titans’ friend. Levis’ still has a tendency to hold the ball too long, and the offensive line can’t seem to hold blocks long enough to avert the occasional disaster, as evidenced by the seven sacks in the first half.

The balance of that is they must stay in good down and distances often enough for the passing game to have a chance.

Need a positive? The Titans had fewer offensive penalties, which meant fewer plays behind the sticks.

But the big key was the running game, and Pollard provided the boost that kept the Houston defense honest, allowing the Titans to run or pass. All of which provided enough time for Levis to get a throw off.

The Titans still need to get Levis to speed up his reads and get rid of the ball quicker. A consistent running game would help everything else fall into place.