NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Will Levis is plugging back into a Titans’ offense that’s made some progress without him.
His chance to become the team’s long-term guy has dwindled, but if he wants to keep it alive, he can’t take the unit back to where it was when he fell out before the Buffalo game. He’s got to pick things up where they are now, where the team has – as improbable as it seems – amassed 400 yards on offense for consecutive games for the first time since December of 2000.
“I don’t think it's all on Will or all on the quarterback position,” Nick Holz said. “We kind of expect him to jump in with that progress that we’ve made over the past couple of weeks.”
That’s a big expectation, and the basis for it is that Levis and his coaches have talked about how much he’s learned by watching things unfold on the sideline as he’s rehabilitated his throwing shoulder. He suffered a Grade 2 AC joint sprain diving for a first down against the Dolphins in Miami on Sept. 30.
“It was awesome for the guys to continue to get those reps and continue to get more comfortable in the offense,” Levis said. “I’m just going to be the best quarterback I can for this team.”
Brian Callahan said he thinks his starting QB will bring a renewed sense of perspective of what the offense can look like and how he can fit into it.
With Mason Rudolph at the helm, the second half of the Detroit game didn’t mean a great deal as the Lions led big.
But in the last two games, Calvin Ridley has 15 catches on 23 targets for 216 yards. That accounts for 55 percent of his receptions and 54 percent of his receiving yardage for the season.
The failure of Levis and Ridley to establish a consistent connection was an issue before Levis got hurt. There has not been a lot of time for them to work on the issues while Levis was limited in every practice from Oct. 18 until Nov. 7 -- a span of nine sessions -- before he was back Thursday.
Will Levis threw a lot Sunday to build endurance. Said early in shoulder rehab that pushing exercises were limited. #Titans pic.twitter.com/aV3oZYAo5C
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 7, 2024
And in the last two games, a quarter of their season so far, the Titans’ tight end trio has 10 catches on 14 targets for 130 yards – 25 percent of their receptions, which is on target, but 34 percent of their yards, an uptick for sure.
“Will doesn’t determine what we do, so we’ve just got to come out and do the same things that we’ve been doing and he’ll find us and we’ll make the plays for him,” Chig Okonkwo said. “Play hard, be where we need to be when he needs us there, and when the plays find us we’ll make them.
“We’ve been more involved in the passing attack the last few weeks. And some of that’s just going to keep going up. The tight end is like the quarterback’s best friend, sometimes it’s an easy dump off that can quickly move the chains, get a quick throw. Those type of things open up things for the guys on the outside too, give them more space.”
No one on offense seems to be thinking about what Levis needs to do, just about what they have to do to help him.
“Regardless of who’s back there, we’ve got to do our job great, so he can do his job even better,” Tyler Boyd said. “The QB is going to take us as far as we can go. He can do that without the comradery, his team. If we don’t throw the ball away, if we don’t drop passes and tip them in the air and guys get interceptions and we don’t beat ourselves with penalties, I think Will will be fine. That’s the formula.”
That’s a great approach.
But Sunday at Sofi Stadium is a huge moment for Levis.
The last game he played for the Titans, they managed 241 yards, and he threw for 95.
He’s got to be better. Now. Or the Titans will regress and no matter the eight games remaining after the return from LA, progress will be lost and we’ll be talking, again, about the timetable for the conclusion of his term as the starter.