The Tennessee Titans did not show any signs of improvement against the Ravens in London. In fact, they showed signs of regression in their offense and special teams. Kyle Phillips likely lost his position of punt returner for good with an unforced error, muffing a fair catch that led to a field goal for the Ravens. QB Ryan Tannehill left the game with an ankle injury but was struggling to find any success before leaving the game. Through 3 quarters, Tannehill was 8 of 16 for 76 yards and an interception. Malik Willis came off the bench for the injured Tannehill but didn’t look any better than he did in his rookie campaign as he posted 4 of 5 for 74 yards and 4 sacks. All of this adds up to the possibility of Will Levis potentially being prepped for an opportunity as the Titans enter their bye week.
The last time the Titans made a permanent change at quarter was after Week 6 of 2019 when the team benched Marcus Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. The team had an identical 2-4 record, and the change sparked a successful run to finish the season. The offense rallied around their new quarterback and began to stack wins. How will a similar change affect the team in 2023?
Rediscovering Ourselves
In the first six weeks of the 2023 season, the Titans have tried to leave much heavier on their passing attack. However, that decision hasn’t produced consistent results with Tannehill and Hopkins looking out of sync, Burks being out of the lineup, and tightends struggling with drops. With a rookie quarterback stepping up, Tim Kelly would likely lean more on Henry and Spears to take pressure off Will Levis.
Pressure Off The Line
Once able to avoid early pressure and escape sacks, Ryan Tannehill has looked much less mobile and noticeably slower after his 2022 ankle injury. Malik Willis had the speed and strength to escape the pocket in college but has not shown that same ability on Sundays. Despite all of the questions & concerns with the accuracy of Levis, nobody doubts his ability to maneuver in the pocket and escape trouble.
Eyes Toward The Future
The Titans entered 2023 hopeful they had 3 quarterbacks on their roster. Six weeks later, the franchise and fanbase would both settle for discovering we have one. If we don’t actually have one, it makes sense to confirm that in 2023. Kicking the can down the road to discover Will Levis isn’t the team’s quarterback of the future in 2024 would only delay the timeline of finding the team’s QB by a year.
