Will Levis bests Bryce Young as Tennessee Titans outlast Panthers in battle of rookie QBs
The Tennessee Titans continue to be grateful that the Carolina Panthers passed on quarterback Will Levis.
Levis and the Titans took down No. 1 pick Bryce Young and the Panthers 17-10 at Nissan Stadium on Sunday, winning the battle of rookie quarterbacks to snap a three-game losing streak. Levis led the Titans (4-7) on two first-half scoring drives on an efficient day, completing 64% of his passes for 185 yards; Young completed 58% of his passes for 194 yards and rushed for 23 for the Panthers (1-10).
Running back Derrick Henry punched in the Titans' two touchdowns from 1 and 10 yards out, marking his first multi-score game of the season. The defense hurried Young consistently, hitting him nine times with four sacks and forcing one fumble.
The Panthers had numerous opportunities to come back, taking possession down seven points four times in the second half. Their final opportunity came on a drive that started at their own 20-yard line with 2:57 left in the fourth quarter, but Titans defensive lineman Denico Autry derailed the threat with a second-down sack.
Battle of the rookies: Point to Will Levis
Young played a little bit better than his stats indicate, showcasing his ability to escape by evading numerous would-be sacks to throw the ball away or dart downfield. But Levis still played a better game, if only because of how good he looked in the first half.
Levis led the Titans 91 yards on their first scoring drive, completing all seven of his passes for 80 yards. His seventh completion was a 25-yard rainbow lobbed to tight end Chig Okonkwo while Levis was being driven into the ground by star Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns to set the Titans up inside the 2-yard line.
There's no place like Nissan Stadium
The trend has become impossible to ignore. The Titans are unbeaten at Nissan Stadium this season (4-0) and winless everywhere else (0-7). That's good news for a team that plays four of its final six games at home.
Coming into Week 12, there were only three other teams unbeaten at home: The Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. All three have at least twice as many wins as the Titans. Yet Tennessee remains in the conversation among the most automatic home teams in the league.
Finally, some rush and a turnover
Going into Sunday, the Titans and Panthers were tied for last place in the NFL with just seven takeaways apiece. Defensive end Arden Key unknotted that tie with a second-quarter strip sack of Young, which defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons recovered to set the Titans' offense up inside the red zone.
Two plays later, Henry scampered in for a 10-yard touchdown rush, his second score of the day.
Turnovers had been especially hard to come by in recent weeks. That fumble recovery was only the Titans' second in their past four games. And for Key to have made the play after registering just one quarterback hit in his past six games, the play meant even more.
Bringing down quarterbacks is one of many things the Titans have been significantly better at doing at home than away from Nashville. They have 16 sacks in four games at Nissan Stadium versus 13 in seven games elsewhere.
What's next?
The Titans stay home for a Sunday matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Kickoff is scheduled for noon and the game will be televised on CBS.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nickusss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Levis, Tennessee Titans outlast Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
