Rookie quarterback Will Levis is expected to draw his second pro start when the Tennessee Titans visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night to kick off Week 9, ESPN reported.
Ryan Tannehill is still recovering from a high-ankle sprain and likely won’t be ready on the quick turnaround, per the report.
Levis is 1-0 after firing a “dream come true” four touchdown passes in his NFL debut on Sunday in the 28-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Levis completed 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards. He led the Titans to their highest scoring output of the season.
The Titans drafted Levis 33rd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft with Tannehill, 35, in the final year of his four-year, $118 million contract.
Levis became just the third quarterback ever to fire four touchdown passes in his NFL debut, joining Fran Tarkenton (1961) and Marcus Mariota (2015).
“This is a dream come true for sure,” Levis said. “I dreamed of this moment as a kid, and to get a win is incredible. But we have a few more minutes to celebrate it today, then we’re on to Pittsburgh.”
According to NFL Research, Levis’ three touchdown passes of 30-plus yards are the most in an NFL debut all-time — excluding strike-shortened seasons.
“Not a bad debut,” Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said postgame. “We hit some shots down the field. The opportunities to move the ball down the field were there, and we hit ’em.”
The Titans improved to 3-4. Thursday’s host Steelers are 4-3.
–Field Level Media