Will Levis cost the Tennessee Titans a win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday with an all-time awful decision during the fourth quarter. Despite his shortcomings, he really wants you to know that he is actually a good quarterback.
The 25-year-old offered a strong defense — of himself — while speaking to the media ahead of Week 2.
Levis went 19-of-32 for just 127 yards to begin his second season as the starting quarterback. His singular touchdown pass was also overshadowed by a pair of interceptions.
His worst throw of the day ended up being the difference between victory and defeat.
Tennessee held a one-point lead over Chicago with just over seven minutes remaining in the game. Levis took the snap, felt pressure off of the edge, and tried to backhand a pass in the general direction of Tyler Boyd. It might’ve been an attempt to toss the ball out of bounds. It might’ve been an intentional effort to try to get the ball to his receiver.
Either way, Levis’ flip was a flop. Defensive back Tyrique Stevenson picked off the pass and took it back for what ultimately became the game-winning touchdown.
I knew Will Levis threw a bad pick six. I knew he did a surrender cobra in the middle of the play. I did not know it was *this* funny pic.twitter.com/OZcQNR4BSI
— Vikings Blogger (@firstandskol) September 9, 2024
Will Levis fell to his knees in the middle of the play. He hit the first-ever mid-game surrender cobra!
That one singular play was not the only thing that prevented him from having a good day at the office. His passer rating of 52.5 was not great.
Despite all of the struggles, Levis is already moved on. Titans fans should not worry that last week’s performance will stick in the back of his mind. In fact, he really wants them to know that he is actually pretty good at this whole football thing.
There have been times where a game like that would have lingered for days, weeks, and really just kept getting to me. But I didn’t lose sleep Sunday night.
I know that I’m a good quarterback in this league, and obviously there’s a lot of things to get better on. But watching that tape, I still have that confidence and knowing it’s a fluke play that I can definitely learn from. I still have all the confidence in the world in this team and everything. Just have to come to work the same way regardless of what happens.
— Will Levis
On one hand, I love the self-confidence here. Levis is staying positive and staying focused.
On the other hand, I don’t love that a starting quarterback in the NFL has to defend his position as a good quarterback in the NFL. There are two ways to interpret this quote.