The Titans starting QB Will Levis in their regular-season finale against the Texans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Will Levis will start at quarterback for the Tennessee Titans in their regular-season finale Sunday against the Houston Texans.

First-year coach Brian Callahan made the announcement Friday that Levis will make his 12th start this season, returning to the lineup after being benched for veteran Mason Rudolph the past two games. Levis was removed from the lineup after his fourth turnover, a pick-6 in a loss to Cincinnati on Dec. 15, and has not played since.

Callahan said Rudolph also will play some on Sunday as well. But the Titans coach said he'll keep Levis on the field if the 33rd pick in the 2023 draft is playing well.

“It’s a little bit of a feel thing,” Callahan said. "If a guy is playing well, I’d like him to keep playing. But they will rotate. Mason will play at some point. I would say I’m almost certain, he will play at some point in the first half, so it won’t be a half and half thing. But again, if Will is playing well, and he’s feeling it, I’ll let him keep playing.”

The Titans wanted to use this season to evaluate Levis, who has had both good moments and bad in his second year in the NFL. Among his 12 touchdown passes is the longest play in the NFL this season with his 98-yard TD pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine against Minnesota. Levis also has had four of his 12 interceptions returned for touchdowns, and the quarterback has lost five fumbles.

Callahan said Sunday will play some factor in the team's continuing evaluation of Levis, who still has two more years on his rookie contract with Tennessee. The coach also said how Levis plays will not be the deciding factor on his future.

“I’d say it all matters. Every time you take the field, it’s all a part of it. I don’t know that one thing in this game is going to overshadow, good or bad, the entire breadth of work for the season. But it certainly matters. I want him to play well, and I hope he does,” Callahan said.

The Titans (3-13) ruled out seven players against the Texans (9-7). That group includes running back Tyjae Spears (concussion), outside linebacker Arden Key (hand), safety Amani Hooker (shoulder), wide receiver Tyler Boyd (foot), linebacker Otis Reese (ankle), tackle Jaelyn Duncan (shoulder) and kicker Nick Folk (abdomen). Folk finishes the season missing his third straight game while leading the NFL making 95.5% of his field goals.

Tennessee currently is poised to draft No. 2 overall in the April draft. A loss combined with a New England win would give the Titans a chance at the top overall pick. A win combined with other games could drop the Titans as low as eighth in the NFL draft.

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Tennessee Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph (11) warms up before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan looks to the field from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. The Bengals won 37-27. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Notre Dame women's basketball coach Niele Ivey tried to focus on preparing her third-ranked team for a road game at No. 17 North Carolina. It wasn't easy amid the worry about her son — NBA player Jaden Ivey — after he sustained a serious leg injury that required surgery this week.

That's why she was so thankful of the way her Fighting Irish handled Sunday's 76-66 win.

“They really ignited me as a person, and a mother," said Ivey, her voice fragile with held-back emotion in the postgame news conference. “So I'm really grateful for that because I knew this was going to be a tough one for me.”

Ivey, 47, is in her fifth year as Notre Dame's coach and leads a team picked as the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference favorite as well as a potential Final Four contender. Her son, 22-year-old Jaden, was the No. 5 overall NBA draft pick in 2022 and was having a breakout year (17.6 points) in his third year with the Detroit Pistons.

Ivey was hurt Wednesday night when Orlando’s Cole Anthony slipped as he and Ivey went for a loose ball, and Anthony crashed into Ivey's planted left leg. Ivey was in obvious pain as members of the training staff held up towels to block the crowd’s view of the injury while players from both teams formed a circle around him. He was eventually loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled out of the arena with a towel covering the injury.

The team said after the surgery that he would be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Niele Ivey's Irish, who hadn't played since her son's injury, took control in the second quarter at UNC behind the latest big performances from Hannah Hidalgo (24 points) and Olivia Miles (19) — two previous Associated Press All-Americans in the backcourt.

Afterward, Ivey patted Miles gently on the back as she talked about the past week, saying she told her players afterward that they gave her a lift.

“It's a really, rough week for me having my son go down a couple of days ago,” she said. “They really played for me, and I really really appreciate that because it was really tough. I'm really grateful for them because they really kept my spirits up.”

Miles said it's “routine” that the players try to play hard for Ivey, but that they were also aware of the family's emotion.

“We always want to play for Coach Ivey in every game,” Miles said. “But there was definitely some added fuel to the fire just given the circumstances.”

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Teammates look over Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) after an incident during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Detroit. Ivey was carted off the court by stretcher. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)