Anthony Richardson and Will Levis showdown again on hold as Colts and Titans square off in Indy

INDIANAPOLIS — Anthony Richardson and Will Levis entered the NFL last season with similar traits.

Both played in the SEC, had big arms and loads of upside. Most draft experts had them ranked either third or fourth among that quarterback class. And both wound up being taken by teams in the AFC South — Richardson at No. 4 by Indianapolis and Levis at No. 33 by Tennessee.

Strangely, though, as their second NFL seasons near a close, they still haven't squared off. And it won't happen Sunday, either.

The Titans and Colts both seem to have more questions than answers about the guys annointed the faces of their franchises.

“He’s kind of had two games that really have been a struggle for him, and we need to have better (play) there,” first-year Titans coach Brian Callahan said in announcing Levis' benching this week. “Just like any other player, when your play dips the way it did and we have a chance let somebody else go do it ... I still believe very much in Will."

The benching is the latest twist in this two-year journey.

Richardson missed the last two Titans games because of injuries, and the one time he did start in 2023, he left early with a shoulder injury. Levis, meanwhile, started last season behind Ryan Tannehill, played and lost the last two against Indy (6-8) and now is benched.

Levis has 17 of Tennessee's league-worst 29 turnovers. So after losing three straight and five of six, the Titans (3-11) opted to go in a different direction — for now.

Richardson can relate. It has been a month since he regained the starting job following a two-week benching for poor play and tapping out of a game because he was tired. Coach Shane Steichen urged Richardson to recommit himself to the team while paying more attention to details and, at times, he has looked sharper.

Like Levis, he struggled with turnovers again last week in a critical a 31-13 loss at Denver that may have cost the Colts (6-8) a playoff spot. But unlike Levis, who will be replaced by Mason Rudolph, Richardson hopes to rebound by winning Indy's final three games and getting the help Indy needs to make the postseason.

“We’re just trying to make sure we finish out strong this year, so if we do get an opportunity to get in the playoffs, then we make sure that we take care of our business,” Richardson said.

The Titans believe a little time on the sideline may help Levis view the game through a different prism, one that helps him come back a stronger player.

It sure couldn't hurt. Just ask Richardson.

“He’s shown improvement,” Callahan said. “There’s a lot of things he has improved at, but there hasn’t been enough consistency at this moment and so those are the things that we’re trying to fix.”

Another running QB

Tackling Richardson could prove tricky for the Titans, who saw Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow run around for 9 seconds before throwing a TD pass in last week’s 37-27 loss.

Richardson is an even stronger runner than Burrow and has been using his legs more over the past four games. The Titans are well aware that Richardson has five TD runs in 10 games this season, and they’re focused on keeping him contained.

“We know that he’s a good runner,” Titans two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said. “He has all the tools to be able to kill you in the run game. We know that the Colts have a lot of designed runs for him as well. So at the end of the day, we have to be disciplined.”

Motivating factor

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor didn't even realize what happened initially when the refs started reviewing what he thought was a 41-yard TD run. Instead, they took the points off the board because Taylor dropped the ball before crossing the goal line.

It's a lesson he won't forget and an embarrassing one he had to relive during this week's film session. Now, though, it serves as something else for the one-time rushing champ: motivation.

“It definitely will. I mean, I’m not the type that gets motivated off of certain things,” Taylor said Thursday. "I feel like if you’re not already motivated intrinsically to want to be the best player, to make big plays, I just think it’s going to be tough to – this league is going to be tough for you if you’re not just intrinsically motivated.”

Opportunistic Titans

The Titans have been very stingy allowing total yards and yards passing, ranking among the NFL’s top three in both categories.

Lately, they’ve finally been taking the ball away, too. They have seven interceptions over the last four games, the most in the NFL during that span, with at least two in each of the last two games.

They finished with four takeaways against the Bengals, the highlight coming when rookie defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat returned a fumble 30 yards. But Tennessee has opened each of the past two games with an interception and has forced a turnover on the opponent’s first possession four times this season.

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AP Pro Football Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, also contributed to this report.