NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans second-year quarterback Will Levis promised to let the game come to him rather than press to make things happen when he returned to the lineup Sunday after missing the previous three games.
The 27-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers spoiled his return, but there were signs of improvement from the young quarterback.
Levis' fourth pass attempt of the day resulted in a 41-yard touchdown to Calvin Ridley on a deep post. It was Levis' longest completion of the season, and he was able to manipulate the safety with his eyes to get Ridley open.
He used anticipation to fit the ball between a linebacker and safety on two throws to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine before the receiver made his cuts on deep in-breaking routes.
In arguably his most efficient game as a starter, Levis completed 18 of his 23 passes (78.7%) for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Still, the result was no different for the Titans (2-7), as Levis has yet to win a game this season where he played the whole game.
"There's a lot of things about that game that were encouraging," coach Brian Callahan said Monday. "The ball came out on time. It was accurate. There were some tight window throws that were aggressive in nature."
Levis' biggest area of improvement was not turning the football over. Before missing his first game in Week 7, Levis' 10 turnovers were the most in the NFL through six weeks this season. His head-scratching interception against the Chicago Bears that cost the Titans a win in the season opener is a prime example of trying to force something to happen.
Callahan said he felt there were times early in the year when Levis was trying too hard to find the big play, but he was able to avoid pressing the issue in his return.
"Not turning the ball over, not putting it in harm's way, being smart, running, sliding -- all those things were improvements," Callahan said.
The strides of improvement for Levis have opened up some new issues. Levis held onto the ball at some inopportune times. It seems like he's stuck in a battle that pits the risk against the reward, causing him to be more hesitant to take a shot at making a big play.
"Part of playing quarterback is sometimes you just got to let it go," Callahan said. "If you see it, you just can't overthink it. You just have to let it rip."
The reluctance led to some big plays being left on the field. One that sticks out is when Callahan called a play-action pass on a first-and-5 in the third quarter that booted Levis to his right side.
Will Levis had Josh Whyle wide open on the play that resulted in a sack. If he takes the shot, that's a big gain. pic.twitter.com/DKKc5EZUE5
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) November 10, 2024
The play revolved around what's known as a sail concept, which employs three routes at three different depths that flood one side of the field. It's designed to cut the field in half and create easy reads for the quarterback. Callahan paired it with a roll out to the flood side of the field.
The run fake got the linebackers and safeties out of position, leaving tight end Josh Whyle wide-open on the corner route. Levis appeared to see Whyle but didn't throw the ball and got sacked. The Chargers finished the game with seven sacks.
"It's reacting and knowing when the pressure is kind of getting there, that internal clock has got to speed up and just to get the ball out," Levis said.
The coaching staff wants Levis to recognize plays coming open. Offensive coordinator Nick Holz said they ran the play live at full speed during practice to get Levis to see it better at a near game-day pace.
"There's opportunity for a big play there, and he's outside the pocket," Holz said. "Don't take sacks outside the pocket on movement."
Callahan said he's trying to help Levis by calling plays that allow him to get the ball out quickly.
Holz said meeting with Levis and the rest of the coaching staff to watch film to look at different looks helps him think through things faster before the snap. The quick passing game can help Levis avoid taking big hits, which have come far too often in the pocket and on the run.
"He's very competitive," Holz said. "Sometimes he's got that 'I can make this play' and 'I'm going to make a guy miss' and things like that."
Levis had some plays last week where stepping up in the pocket as the pass rush was barreling down and taking off running or getting the ball to his check down would help avoid being sacked. He admitted to taking too long on some of those plays and acknowledged the importance of giving his pass catchers a chance to make something happen.
"[I] just got to know the situations and get the ball out," Levis said. "If I take that underneath, even though he's not catching at the sticks, you can ... go for a first."
But that's not to say the pass protection didn't have a part in the sacks. Running back Tony Pollard missed a blitzing linebacker on one of the plays, and right guard Dillon Radunz got beaten on another.
The Titans pass protection will be tested this week when they host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) at Nissan Stadium. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is relentlessly attacking offenses by dialing up blitzes on an NFL-high 39.8% of their defensive snaps, according to ESPN Research. The Vikings also lead the NFL in interceptions (15) and total takeaways (20).
Flores' elaborate packages will present Levis with some different looks, especially with safety Harrison Smith -- who rushes the quarterback or drops back into coverage from a blitzing position. Levis called Flores' defense one of the league's "more crazy defenses" and pointed to how he likes to "mess with quarterbacks" with the different schemes.
The Titans will help themselves by being more efficient on first and second down. Staying ahead of the chains helps avoid the pressure packages that Flores unleashes.
"It's a difficult scheme to get ready for," Callahan said. "We're making sure we're putting him in position to have the answers when he needs them. Try to make it as simple and easy for him as possible."