The reviews are in on former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis’ NFL preseason debut
Will Levis made his NFL debut on Saturday. Technically, it wasn’t the former Kentucky quarterback’s real NFL debut. It was his preseason debut, and Levis split series with fellow quarterback Malik Willis in the Tennessee Titans’ 23-17 loss at the Chicago Bears on Saturday.
Still, it was our first look at Levis in a Titans uniform as the second-round draft pick battles Willis for the backup job behind Tennessee starter Ryan Tannehill.
How did Levis do? Statistically, he was 9-for-14 passing for 85 yards with one interception. He led one touchdown drive. His passer rating was 51.2. He was sacked four times. Willis, who started the game, completed 16 of his 25 passes for 189 yards with an interception. The second-year pro posted a 70.3 passer rating.
“I think both of them did a good job,” acting Tennessee head coach Terrell Williams said. “Both of them have some things — just like everybody — to clean up. … We didn’t make some plays we should have, but there wasn’t an issue with composure at all.”
How did Levis look? His first performance confirmed what NFL scouts had said about the Connecticut native. Levis made some good throws. He made some inaccurate throws. He did not feel the pass rush well — his pocket presence last season at UK was an issue — but he showed a smooth and easy throwing motion. And at crunch time he did throw an interception that sealed the Chicago victory.
Levis entered the game on Tennessee’s second series with 6:21 left in the first quarter. The scored was tied at 7. His first throw was a 7-yard completion. His second throw was nearly intercepted. After an initial first down, Levis took an 8-yard sack to end the series.
His second series came with 14:25 left in the second quarter. Levis completed a 21-yard pass to Mason Kinsey to spark a 31-yard drive. Hassan Haskins scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal to tie the game at 14 with 10:36 left in the first half.
Levis led Tennessee’s next series, as well. He hit on another 21-yard throw, this time to Racey McMath. Levis was 3-for-4 on the series that ended in Chicago territory with a Josh Whyle fumble.
Levis returned for the Titans’ first series of the second half. The score was tied 17-17 with 10:55 left in the third quarter. He completed one of two passes on a quick three-and-out.
Levis got the next series, as well, this time with Tennessee trailed 20-17 with 3:56 left in the third quarter. The QB marched the Titans from their own 25 to the Chicago 30-yard-line — going 2-for-2 through the air for 23 yards — before Trey Wolff missed a 48-yard field goal wide right.
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Levis’ final series came with just 31 seconds left in the game. Tennessee trailed 23-17. Taking over on the Chicago 43, Levis completed a 7-yard pass to Julius Chestnut. He threw an incompletion to Gavin Holmes. On third-and-3 from the Chicago 36, he sailed a pass that was intercepted by the Bears’ Robert Burns to effectively end the game.
Asked Sunday why he was alternating the two quarterbacks, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said, “Most of the time they’re going to have to come in off the bench and be ready to execute. So that’s some of the things that we were trying to recreate.”
Here’s Pro Football Focus’ review: “Titans second-round rookie quarterback Will Levis, in a battle with Malik Willis for the QB2 job, overcame an early turnover-worthy play — a dropped interception — to record two big-time throws and a 70.0-plus passing grade, pending review. However, he held onto the ball too long on occasion and was sacked four times.”
Next up, Levis and the Titans play at Minnesota on Saturday at 8 p.m.
This story was originally published August 14, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
