Despite another impressive effort from rookie quarterback Will Levis, the Tennessee Titans suffered their fifth loss of the season at the hands of Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night, 20-16.
While Levis didn’t find the end zone, he did complete 22-of-39 passes for 262 yards. The Kentucky product threw an interception but it came on a desperation pass in the closing seconds of the game.
Levis’ impressive night was more than just about the raw numbers, though, as he posted the aforementioned stats despite facing constant pressure.
In the face of that pressure, Levis showed poise and patience in the pocket and flashed his touch, arm strength and accuracy on several occasions, especially on some off-balance throws.
He also did a great job picking up the blitz and getting rid of the ball quickly, which prevented several sacks. All in all, Levis’ showing was enough to draw positive reviews from fans and media alike.
After the game, the rookie stated the obvious.
“Losing sucks, especially at this level,” Levis said, per Jim Wyatt. “It’s so hard to win games and you got an opportunity like that to win it at the end and it doesn’t happen, it makes it feel a whole lot worse.
“Credit to (the Steelers), they made the plays when they needed to and we didn’t. Got to get back to work.”
Levis was spotted sitting in his chair in the locker room staring into space following the tough loss. He went on to share what was going through his mind at that moment.
“I was just trying to replay in my mind a little bit some of the things that happened,” he explained, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “And, obviously, the knee-jerk reactions are obviously a little different once you go back and watch the tape. Things are usually not as bad as they seem, or if they’re really good, they’re not as good as they seem.”
While the end result certainly wasn’t what Levis and the Titans wanted, the fact that he handled himself well in hostile territory (and in his first road start that came in prime time) against a ton of adversity because of poor pass protection is a great sign.
I think it’s safe to say Levis has shown more than enough over his first two starts to get the keys to the car the rest of the way.
