The Tennessee Titans have completed their second preseason game of the year after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 13-3.
It was a sloppy game that displayed a lot of ups and downs, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Titans rookie quarterback Malik Willis once again got the start and he seems destined to become the team’s No. 2 quarterback barring something drastic happening.
After consistently showing improvements throughout camp, head coach Mike Vrabel said the team is officially placing a primary focus on giving Willis as many reps as possible, and that was clearly evident today.
The talented young quarterback played into the third quarter where he ended the night completing 7-of-17 passes for 80 yards and one touchdown (75.6 passer rating).
The electric rookie also carried the ball five times for 42 yards (8.4 YPC), and he was also sacked three times on the day but evaded multiple others.
Now that the game is officially in the books, let’s take a closer look beyond the numbers at how the Titans’ dynamic rookie quarterback fared in his second start of the preseason.
First quarter
Willis’ first quarter was largely forgettable. He often didn’t seem comfortable due to his putrid protection upfront.
Willis started the game on a high note after completing this play-action pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Looking good on the first play. @malikwillis ➡️ @nick_west15
📺: Watch #TBvsTEN on @WKRN pic.twitter.com/ySWxb47FcT
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 20, 2022
Two of the things that you wanted to see Willis improve on from last week was his timing and rhythm within the offense. The Liberty product confidently displayed both on this 21-yard completion to start the drive.
Unfortunately, that was one of the few bright spots in the opening quarter. In this next play, the Titans decide to go for it on fourth down, and this play was destined for failure from the start.
Willis decides to keep the ball, and as he’s pulling the ball back into his grasp, he’s immediately met by several Buccaneers defenders.
To the elusive quarterback’s credit, he managed to make the first group miss, but there were already several other Tampa defenders in hot pursuit of the quarterback.
In this next clip, Willis is once again forced into a Houdini act almost immediately.
The Titans’ quarterback does a good job of making the initial free rusher miss, but this is another play that had no chance from the start.
Geoff Swaim was open right in front of him if the offensive line just gives him enough time to keep his eyes downfield, but instead he has to fight for his life by the time he finishes his play action.
This next play is one he will look back at on film and wish he had back. This is simply a case of Willis getting lazy with his fundamentals.
He has a clean pocket combined with a wide-open target, but rather than step into the throw, he releases the ball off his back foot which causes the ball to one hop to its target.
The Liberty legend has the arm talent to make that throw 10 times out of 10 if he follows through with his fundamentals.
On this final clip of the first quarter, Willis has pressure in his lap almost immediately due to Dillon Radunz getting dog-walked into the backfield.
Willis tries to keep his eyes downfield, but he’s ultimately surrounded by white jerseys and is once again forced to the ground.
Second Quarter
Willis’ first pass of the second quarter was a missed opportunity by him and fellow rookie tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo.
On fourth down, the rookie quarterback rips a laser to Okonkwo, but the pass sails on him just a little which made the reception harder than it had to be, ultimately causing an incompletion and a turnover on downs.
However, this was one of the few noteworthy low points of the quarter as Willis seemingly got comfortable as the game went on.
In this next clip, Willis is standing in his own end zone when he uses his elite elusiveness and athleticism to avoid the pressure and complete a dart to Dez Fitzpatrick.
The young quarterback somehow escaped the collapsing pocket and completed another one of his ridiculous side-arm passes for a first down.
On this next third-down play, the Titans decide to move the pocket for Willis. He rolls right, keeps his eyes downfield, and finds Philips, who makes a beautiful sideline catch for his quarterback.
Shortly after, Willis finally broke loose for a big run after his woeful protection collapsed and he saw no open receivers downfield.
The athletic quarterback does a great job at setting up the Buccaneers linebacker in order to gain a leverage advantage.
Willis appears to be running directly at No. 52, and as they approach each other, Willis plants his leg and changes direction towards the outside before cutting back upfield and using his speed to break away for a long run.
This next play is an example of the downside of Willis’ electrifying sidearm passes.
He does a good job at identifying the free rusher as he flips his hips and switches his arm angle on the throw just enough to get the ball around the oncoming defender.
Unfortunately, this awkward angle causes an inaccurate pass that was lucky to just be an incompletion.
This next play is an example of Willis not trusting his eyes, but still finding a way to make something positive happen.
The young quarterback has Burks running open across the field, and he also has Fitzpatrick up the seam with a step on the defender.
It appears that Willis notices one of them, he begins his throwing motion, but quickly pulls the ball back for whatever reason and decides to roll left, where he eventually finds Hassan Haskins near the first down marker along the sideline.
This next play was beautifully executed by the young signal caller. With time ticking down in the half, Willis takes the snap and visibly goes through his progressions as he scans the field for an open receiver.
After starting left, he works his eyes right and back to the middle of the field where he spots Okonkwo running open. Willis then rips a laser to the rookie tight end for a touchdown, making up for the shaky execution from earlier in the quarter.
Third quarter
The Titans’ young quarterback didn’t play much in the third quarter, but he did start the half on a high note after hitting Fitzpatrick on time for a first down.
Willis’ final pass of the night was this drop by Mason Kinsey. The Liberty product once again shows off his ability to deliver throws from different arm angles.
He accurately gets this ball out to Kinsey, who appears to look upfield at the approaching defender before securing the catch.
On the final play of Willis’ night, the rookie quarterback is once again met with pressure almost simultaneously as he finishes his drop.
Tennessee’s quarterback does a good job at making the initial defenders miss, but he’s forced out of bounds for a drive-ending sack that ultimately ends his up-and-down night.
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