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The start of the Will Levis era? This was what the Tennessee Titans needed | Estes
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- The start of the Will Levis era? This was what the Tennessee Titans needed | Estes
Four rapid observations from the Tennessee Titans' 28-23 victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Nissan Stadium in those sweet Houston Oilers throwback uniforms:
The Will Levis era just started
The Titans needed this. They needed some juice. They needed positivity and good vibes, what with Monday's Kevin Byard trade signifying a season veering off the rails.
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Perhaps they just needed . . . Will Levis?
It's easy to make too much of one game. But man, what a game this was for Levis. Would have been difficult to imagine Sunday's NFL debut going much better for the Titans' second-round rookie.
Showing poise and confidence well beyond his years, Levis grasped the opportunity by the tail and chucked it for four touchdowns and a much-needed victory.
Honestly, y'all, we might not see Ryan Tannehill back when he's healthy.
The Titans' offense wasn't just efficient with Levis running it. It was better. It was more explosive. His four TD passes, including DeAndre Hopkins' first three with the Titans, are two more than Tannehill's two in six games this season.
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For Levis, it wasn't just solid decisions and throws. It was that he didn't have many rookie miscues, even when under pressure. The Titans had a good plan for Levis, but more than anything, he wasn't scared to air it out and take chances. His boldness was rewarded with three TDs of at least 33 yards.
Should have had more than 238 yards on 19-of-29 passing, too. Chig Okonkwo dropped a wide-open pass that would've been a long gain. Treylon Burks ' foot was barely out of bounds on another long throw. Chris Moore had a fourth-quarter gain wiped out by an illegal formation penalty.
Titans' pass rush roars to life
It hadn't just been the offense struggling in recent weeks. Lately, the Titans' defensive pass rush – an expected strength of this team – had been ineffectual.
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Not so against the Falcons.
The pass rush got after Atlanta's quarterbacks early and often, batting down passes and essentially knocking Falcons starter Desmond Ridder out of the game. Atlanta allowed six sacks Sunday. Two were credited to Jeffery Simmons , who forced a fumble and generally played like a man possessed for much of the afternoon. Two more sacks went to Harold Landry .
The Titans have needed more of that from Simmons and from Landry, and they've needed this type of impact from the defensive front. It proved critical as a Byard-less secondary had trouble shutting the door in the second half.
The two-quarterback idea was a bad one
When coach Mike Vrabel said all week that he was planning to play both Levis and Malik Willis , that wasn't just lip service to force Falcons coach Arthur Smith to prepare for both.
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Vrabel actually did it. And then he saw why most teams don't do it. Entering cold on the game's fourth offensive snap, Willis couldn't catch a shotgun snap. The Falcons recovered the fumble that gifted them an early 3-0 lead.
With 6:40 left in the second quarter (and Levis playing well), the Titans inexplicably put Willis back in the game for another snap. This was an unpopular decision to say the least, causing boos to cascade around Nissan Stadium.
Shout out to Ryan Stonehouse
Every once in a while, having the NFL's best young punter pays off in a game. Ryan Stonehouse's presence mattered as the Titans took charge of Sunday's game. Of his five punts before halftime, all were inside the Falcons' 20-yard line, including one that traveled 64 yards.
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Thus, Atlanta spent much of the first half backed up against its own goal line. The Falcons didn't start any of their final five possessions of the first half with better field position than their own 13-yard line, which was a problem for an offense struggling to protect its quarterback.
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Levis gave the Tennessee Titans thrill they haven't felt in while
