Titans LB Akeem Ayers (center) was unable to bat the ball down to the ground on Titus Young's Hail Mary catch for a touchdown Sunday. (AP)

Jake Locker has received high marks from Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak for his uncanny ability to make reads and adjustments before the snap through the first three weeks of the season.

In Sunday’s 44-41 overtime win over Detroit, Munchak said Locker used a hard count on four plays to draw Lions’ defenders offsides. Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley became so frustrated that he impersonated Locker’s snap count on a second-down early in the second quarter. Fairley received a penalty for the infraction.

Against an imposing front four, the tactic helped limit the Lions’ aggressiveness. Detroit didn’t record a single sack against Locker and only had one QB hit. Munchak has also been impressed with how Locker has adroitly checked plays from a pass to a run when he has sensed a blitz.

“He’s not just caught up in what he’s doing, he’s aware of the game within the game and how those things make a difference,” Munchak said. “That’s fun to watch a young guy be able to do all those things already.”

Locker finished 29 of 42 for a career-high 372 yards in his first win as a starter. The Titans set an NFL single-game record with five touchdowns of 60 yards or more. Locker had touchdown passes of 61 and 71 yards respectively to tight end Jared Cook and wide receiver Nate Washington. On both plays, Locker made adjustments at the line and fit the passes into tight windows from the Lions’ coverage.

“He’ll throw a tough ball in there if he trusts that you’ll catch it, break it up or make a play on the ball,” Munchak said.

Munchak explains last-second miscues: The Lions forced overtime after the Titans allowed two touchdowns in the game’s final 18 seconds. Detroit recovered an onside kick when the ball caromed off wide receiver Damian Williams’ hands and was recovered by Lions safety Amari Spievey. Munchak acknowledged that Spievey should have been blocked on the play.

“Even if you don’t recover the onside kick, it probably goes out of bounds if that guy is blocked,” Munchak said.

Two plays later, the Lions tied the game on a 46-yard Hail Mary pass from quarterback Shaun Hill to wide receiver Titus Young. Titans linebacker Akeem Ayers batted the ball down, but it fell directly to Young who ran it in from the 1-yard line. Five Titans’ defensive backs were in the area, but none boxed out Young. After the game, Ayers said the defense incorrectly ran the Victory formation on the play.

“He was trying to knock it down to the ground,” Munchak said. “You would have liked that ball to have hit hard enough to where it can’t be caught or we have someone defending the free guy.”

Injury update: Munchak is optimistic that Cook (shoulder) and wide receiver Kenny Britt (ankle) will play Sunday at Houston, despite suffering injuries against the Lions. Both underwent tests on Monday.

Kicker Rob Bironas tweaked his left ankle early in the win. Bironas missed two field goals in the second half. The eighth-year veteran should be fine, Munchak said.

Munchak is unsure of linebacker Colin McCarthy’s availability for the clash against the Texans -- the Titans' AFC South rivals. McCarthy has missed the last two games with an ankle sprain.

“He’s doing a lot more with the rehab, running, doing things like that,” Munchak said. “It’s a matter of how he progresses the next three or four days as he’s doing football-like activities.”

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Tennessee Titans, follow Matt Rybaltowski @CBSTitans.