Tennessee Titans QB tracker: Analyzing Malik Willis with Will Levis out vs Minnesota Vikings

Malik Willis might have the biggest opportunity of his young NFL career on Saturday.

The Tennessee Titans face the Minnesota Vikings in their second preseason game in advance of the 2023 season on Saturday (7 p.m., Channel 2 in Nashville). After splitting reps with rookie Will Levis in the first preseason game, Willis may be tasked with handling a bigger share of the game after Levis left practice early Thursday, the Titans' last practice before this game. Multiple media reports have Levis as out for Saturday's game.

Levis and Willis are competing for the Titans' No. 2 quarterback spot behind Ryan Tannehill, who did not play in the preseason opener, nor did he play in the preseason in 2022. There are no other quarterbacks on the roster, and Levis' status remains uncertain.

The Tennessean will be charting, tracking and analyzing every possession the Titans' quarterbacks play vs. the Vikings. Follow below for live analysis of how the quarterbacks perform.

Tennessee Titans quarterback tracker:

Drive 1: Malik Willis - 1-for-1, 3 yards, 1 rush, 5 yards

Willis was pressured on a 2nd-and-10 and had to scramble up the middle for five yards and checked down to running back Tyjae Spears on his lone attempt. The first-team offensive line was out on the field, but unlike his one drive with the starters against Chicago, Willis couldn't sustain a long drive and the Titans had to punt.

Drive 2: Willis - 0-for-2

Another three-and-out for Willis and the Titans' offense, but this one was avoidable. Willis threw a post route to tight end Chig Okonkwo crossing over the middle and Okonkwo dropped it. Willis' throw might've been a little bit high, but Okonkwo certainly should've caught it. Willis' third down heave was too long to Chris Moore streaking on a go route down the sideline.

Drive 3: Willis - 1-for-3, 11 yards

The Titans took a 7-0 lead off a 33-yard run by Spears. Willis had another good throw dropped by Okonkwo but extended a drive with a third-down completion to Mason Kinsey for 11 yards.

Drive 4: Willis - 2-for-2, 28 yards, 1 run, 11 yards

Willis made an easy throw to Okonkwo to set up a good run after catch and completed another pass to Kinsey. He also had a long scramble to set up a 4th-and-inches that the Titans committed a penalty on to force a punt. But the most notable play of the drive was when Willis was strip-sacked, recovered the fumble and scrambled toward the sideline for a loss when he could've thrown the ball away to preserve the yardage or fell on the fumble to mitigate risk.

Drive 5: Willis - 1-for-12, 11 yards, interception, 1 rush, 7 yards

Willis scrambled for a first down on a third-and-long, barely stretching past the sticks to extend a drive. He came back with a quick completion for another first down on the next play, but an errant pass over the middle led to an easy interception on the following snap. Willis and receiver Racey McMath seemed to have a miscommunication on the play.

Drives 6 and 7: Willis - 0-for-2, 0 yards

The Titans squandered a prime opportunity after a 55-yard run set Willis and the Titans inside the 10-yard line. But Willis absorbed a sack on a rollout on second down and couldn't squeeze a pass into a tight window on third down, leading the Titans to settle for a short field goal to take the lead.

Drive 8: Willis - 1-for-1, 6 yards, 1 rush, 26 yards

Willis set the team up in the red zone with a 26-yard scramble, putting the team in position to make up for last possession's red zone failure. Julius Chestnut punched in for a touchdown this time.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Malik Willis stats in Titans-Vikings NFL preseason 2023; Levis injured