Will Levis dominates NFL debut as Tennessee Titans defeat Atlanta Falcons
Will Levis' agonizing slide out of the first round of the NFL draft in April seems like a distant memory after the first start of his career.
Levis led the Tennessee Titans to a 28-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons in his professional debut Sunday. The rookie second-round pick threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns, connecting with veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins for three scores and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on the fourth. Filling in for injured starter Ryan Tannehill, Levis took all but two of the Titans' quarterback snaps despite a week of buildup suggesting the Titans may use two QBs.
The Titans' defense stymied Falcons starter Desmond Ridder throughout the first half as Tennessee carried a 14-3 lead into halftime. The Falcons replaced Ridder with journeyman Taylor Heinicke in the second half, and he led three straight scoring drives to get the Falcons going and trim the Titans' lead.
Levis emerged from a quick evaluation in the sideline medical tent after the Titans' first defensive stop of the second half and led a nine-play, 85-yard drive to boost the Titans' lead back to two scores with a 33-yard strike to Westbrook-Ikhine, where Levis rolled to his right, planted his feet and lofted a pass all the way across the field to the back left corner of the end zone.
The score made Levis just the third rookie quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in his debut, joining Marcus Mariota, who did it in 2015, also with the Titans, and Fran Tarkenton in 1961 with the Vikings.
The Titans (3-4) didn't immediately put the game on ice after Levis' rainbow touchdown against Atlanta (4-4). After a quick Falcons score and a short Titans drive that didn't do much other than drain the Falcons' timeouts, the Falcons took over at their own 13-yard line with 2:19 left. The Titans forced a four-and-out to end the threat.
Sunday was Titans-Oilers homecoming day at Nissan Stadium. More than 170 former Titans and Oilers players were honored pregame, and the Titans donned Houston Oilers throwback uniforms for the first time since 2009.
Rookie, meet veteran
Levis wasn't shy about taking shots downfield at any point Sunday, and Hopkins was the main beneficiary of the rookie's gutsiness. Hopkins caught his first three touchdowns since signing in the offseason with the Titans, all of them on impressive highlights. His first came on a 47-yard heave, where Levis identified Hopkins in single coverage down the visitors' sideline against Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell, leading to Hopkins outmuscling Terrell with the ball in the air for a score.
Hopkins broke free on a crossing route in the second quarter, converting for a 16-yard touchdown to cash in on the Titans' first red zone opportunity.
Then, late in the third quarter, Levis pump-faked and Hopkins sprinted past everyone in the Falcons' secondary for a 61-yard touchdown, after which Levis darted downfield, hugging offensive linemen and windmilling his arms through the air.
Hopkins finished with four catches for 128 yards. His three touchdowns matched a career high.
Welcome back, pass rush
The Titans generated six sacks against Ridder and Heinicke. Before Sunday, the Titans had hit only opposing quarterbacks three times in their previous two games, but defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and Co. gave Ridder fits, keeping the Falcons in bad downs and distances.
Simmons had two sacks and a forced fumble to lead the unit, but defensive linemen Denico Autry and Harold Landry also joined the action. A lot of the pass rushing success was enabled by punter Ryan Stonehouse pinning the Falcons in unfavorable field position. They started five drives inside their own 20-yard line and struggled to run or pass their way out of the shadow of their goal posts.
So much for Titans' two-QB rotation
Malik Willis was on the field for only two snaps as the Titans' publicized plan of using both quarterbacks ended up being more talk than reality. Willis came in for one snap on the Titans' first possession and fumbled the snap. Levis returned for the next possession and led the offense for the rest of the first half, save for one play that Willis came in and ran for four yards.
Moving on without Kevin Byard
Third-year defensive back Elijah Molden took over at safety in their first game since trading All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to the Eagles. The Falcons' passing attack wasn't much of a threat with Ridder on the field, but Heinicke exposed the Titans' secondary with a constant barrage of throws over the middle and to the sideline.
Safety Terrell Edmunds, acquired from Philadelphia in the Byard trade, played primarily in dime packages with six defensive backs on the field. Undrafted rookie Eric Garror played as the Titans' nickel corner with regular starter Roger McCreary injured, and also took over punt returning duties.
What's next?
The Titans have a quick turnaround for their next game, returning to action Thursday against the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. CT and will be available to stream via Amazon Prime Video.
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 dominant in NFL debut as Tennessee Titans beat Falcons 28-23
