Leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft, Will Levis was one of the quarterbacks projected to find himself with his future team on Day 1 in the first round. However, Levis sat through the entire event with cameras constantly panning to him whenever a team needing a quarterback came up to select. He watched 32 picks go before him until he was finally drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the second pick in the second round.
Fast forward to now, and the Titans' selection of Levis looks genius.
Will Levis seems to be the answer the Titans were looking for
The Titans have been looking for Ryan Tannehill's replacement since the former Texas A&M quarterback failed to get them out of the first round of playoff games in their last two appearances back in 2020 and 2021. Tannehill was dreadful in those games, combining for four turnovers, causing the offense to greatly underperform. But it was clear after last season that 2022's quarterback draft choice, Malik Willis, wasn't the answer either, leaving the Titans still searching for a signal caller with Tannehill on the final year of his contract.
When Tannehill went down with a high ankle sprain injury after the game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6, head coach Mike Vrabel made the rookie Levis his starter against the Atlanta Falcons the following week, despite saying Willis would also get some playing time.
Willis never found the field that game or after, as Levis threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in a 28-23 upset over the Falcons. There has been an obvious learning curve since then, however. The Titans lost three straight after, relying on beating a lowly one-win Carolina Panthers team, the league's worst team, 17-10. That was followed by an overtime loss to AFC South division rival, the Indianapolis Colts, giving them a 4-8 record.
Will Levis' Titans' comeback victory gives nod as QB1 for the future
On Monday Night Football, the Titans came into Hard Rock Stadium to face the Miami Dolphins as a 13.5-point underdog yet walked out with a 28-27 victory in the upset of the 2023 NFL season. Tennessee took a 10-7 lead into halftime. With 5:34 left in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins took a lead after the Titans' Eric Garror muffed a punt inside the Tennessee five-yard line. That set up a two-play drive that ended with Raheem Mostert scoring.
Just one play later, Levis fumbled at the Tennessee 18, and the Dolphins scored in two plays again, making it 27-13 with 4:34 remaining. Somehow, this didn't completely debilitate the Titans.
On the ensuing drive, Levis took the Titans down the field in nine plays in 1:54, completing 7-of-9 passes, ending it with a three-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins to score, then found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for the two-point conversion to make it 27-21, still with the Dolphins having the lead. The Titans then forced the Dolphins to punt in just three plays on the next drive, leaving only 2:14 left on the clock.
The Titans' offense needed just four plays and 26 seconds to drive 64 yards. Levis hit Hopkins on the first play for a 36-yard gain, with Derrick Henry finishing up in the end zone a few plays later to give the Titans a one-point lead, good enough for the victory.
Will Levis performed best when it mattered the most
Levis did all this in the biggest spotlight, with a historical comeback on Monday Night Football, facing the No. 1 seed in the AFC. In doing so, he gave the Titans their first road win since at Green Bay on Nov. 17 of last season. He also posted his first 300-yard passing performance of his young career, throwing for 327 yards, which was the most by a rookie in Monday Night Football History, according to ESPN.
Levis showed poise and fortitude when everything around him was falling apart. Having two costly turnovers just over a minute between each other that put the Titans in a two-score hole would have put most teams down. One of those turnovers was Levis, too. However, his refusal to simply let the game get away from him proves, to this point, he is the undeniable future at quarterback for this team.
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