QB Will Levis may stay benched with the Titans desperate to win down the stretch
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan reacts during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP/George Walker IV
NASHVILLE, Ten. — Brian Callahan is going to take a couple of days to decide if the Tennessee Titans need to keep their starting quarterback on the bench.
Callahan sat Will Levis after his fourth turnover, a pick-6, in a 37-27 loss to Cincinnati. If Callahan and the Titans keep Levis on the bench and start veteran backup Mason Rudolph on Sunday at Indianapolis, Callahan said it's not a final decision on the second-year quarterback's future with the team.
The key? Make sure the Titans are doing the right thing now with three games remaining in their season.
“At the end of the day, it's you've got to win,” Callahan said.
The Titans (3-11) have to win out just to match last season's win total, which didn't keep coach Mike Vrabel on the job.
With the 17-game schedule, they easily could top the 13 losses of 2015, which helped cost Ken Whisenhunt his job in November that season. The 14 games lost in Whisenhunt's debut season of 2014 are the most in a single season since this franchise moved to Tennessee in 1997.
With help from the Bengals, they were part of the first game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to combine for 10 or more turnovers and 25 or more penalties. Callahan said nobody is more frustrated than he is knowing what he expected from this team only to see the Titans keep hurting themselves.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) looks on from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP/George Walker IV
“I have a lot of confidence that that’s the right way of doing things and that we’re going to be headed in the right direction,” Callahan said.
What’s working
The defense. Yes, the NFL's top-ranked passing defense dropped to third after facing the league's best passing offense.
The Titans still forced three turnovers by Joe Burrow, including an interception to end Cincinnati's opening drive and setting up Tennessee to take a 14-7 lead. They also got the ball back in the fourth quarter and gave Rudolph a chance to try and rally them from a 17-point deficit.
What needs help
The offense. Yes, the Titans opened a game scoring touchdowns on back-to-back drives for the first time since Week 4 of the 2022 season. But they turned it over a season-high six times. Luckily, Tony Pollard's fumble turned into a touchback when Cincinnati safety Jordan Battle dropped the ball just outside the goal line.
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. Credit: AP/George Walker IV
That left the Titans giving up just 24 points and not a possible 31.
Stock up
DT T'Vondre Sweat. One of the highlights wasn't the 6-foot-4, 366-pound rookie recovering Burrow's fumble forced by linebacker Harold Landry III on a sack out of the air. It's what Sweat did once he caught the ball, turning upfield and stiff-arming an offensive lineman as he rumbled for 30 yards.
That was the longest fumble return by any NFL player weighing at least 350 pounds since at least 1991.
Stock down
Levis. Not only does he lead the NFL with four pick-6s, which is the most by a quarterback for this franchise in a season since the then-Oilers relocated to Tennessee in 1997, only three quarterbacks in the league have more than his 12 interceptions.
He missed three games and much of a fourth with a sprained AC joint in his right, throwing shoulder. He's also lost five of eight fumbles, a big reason why the Titans rank last in the NFL with 29 turnovers.
Injuries
LB Luke Gifford is in the concussion protocol. He got the first interception that set up the Titans' first touchdown. Callahan said he's hopeful of getting a couple of players back.
Key number
7 — The number of losses by 10 or more points through 14 games this season. The Titans lost eight by 10 or more over the 34 games combined in 2022 and 2023 under then-coach Mike Vrabel.
Next steps
Fans are busy rooting for other teams to lose to improve Tennessee's chances at moving into the top five of next April's draft. The Titans last drafted higher than seventh in 2017 when they used the fifth overall pick on a wide receiver who didn't get a second contract with the team.
On the field, the Titans still have a chance to move up from the bottom of the AFC South for 2025 scheduling starting Sunday with a visit to Indianapolis (6-8) starting a two-game road swing.
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