Tennessee Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt named rookie Zach Mettenberger the team’s starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans at LP Field.

Jake Locker has missed the past two games with a thumb injury, and the naming of Mettenberger could signal the end of Locker’s days as the Titans’ No. 1 quarterback.

Mettenberger was a sixth-round selection in this year’s NFL Draft, but he had a strong preseason, completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 659 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 97.6.

Whisenhunt said the Titans plan to stick with Mettenberger, even when Locker gets healthy.

Mettenberger has played in just one regular-season game, completing 2 of 5 passes for 17 yards and one interception.

This past week, he was the backup to Charlie Whitehurst, who started Sunday’s game against Washington. Whitehurst was 17-for-26 for 160 yards, two touchdowns and one interceptions in a 19-17 loss to the Redskins that dropped the Titans’ record to 2-5.

—All signs point to Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson returning to the field for Sunday’s game in London against the Atlanta Falcons.

Johnson missed the past two games because of an ankle injury, but after sprinting in the team’s first workout in Bagshot, England, and then working agility drills on Wednesday, the All-Pro might be ready to go.

–Lions running back Reggie Bush sat out practice with an ankle injury, making his status questionable for Sunday’s game.

—Houston Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, who has been sidelined since the first game with a knee injury, said he expects to return for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

Clowney, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft this year, had surgery Sept. 8 to repair a torn meniscus suffered during the first half of the Texans’ season opener against Washington. He returned to practice Oct. 17.

He was a game-time decision for Monday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers but did not play.

— Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden said in a radio interview this week that Griffin should be back no later than the Nov. 16 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I would guarantee Tampa, most likely, unless something happens between now and then,” Gruden said on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday.

The Redskins play the Cowboys and Vikings in their next two games, then have a bye.

Griffin is recovering from a dislocated ankle, and Gruden said he still plans to start Colt McCoy on Monday against the Cowboys.

—Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne missed a second straight day of practice with an elbow injury, putting into question his availability for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Indianapolis Star reported Wayne is still expected to play Sunday.

—Colts running back Trent Richardson also sat out practice Thursday with a hamstring injury. Pagano called Richardson day-to-day according to the Star.

—The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed linebacker Orie Lemon from the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad to the active roster, the Buccaneers announced.

The Buccaneers have a roster spot available because defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers was suspended for two games for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.

–Contract talks with wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas are on hold as the Denver Broncos focus on football.

General manager and vice president John Elway first opened contract talks in the offseason but the sides have not closed the gap. The tandem caught 157 passes and 26 touchdowns last season when the Broncos set multiple records, and could exceed those totals in 2014.

—Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell expected to draw the best out of Harvin, coaxing the type of play — long gains after the catch to go with flashy returns — that attracted the Seahawks to Harvin two years earlier, when Bevell strongly endorsed trading for the now 26-year-old enigma. But it was not to be.

“I was disappointed. I did have a history with him, and I thought it would be a different outcome. But I guess that’s just the way it went,” Bevell told the Tacoma News Tribune.

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson also weighed in, saying he had no problems with Harvin during his time with the Seahawks and blaming the media for essentially making too much of the story.