Trailing 20-16 and driving down the field on the road to potentially lead the Tennessee Titans to a come-from-behind win, rookie QB Will Levis made some big-time throws.
But then, on a 3rd and 5 from the 19-yard line of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Levis made one of his few mistakes of the primetime game. He forced a throw to backup tight end Josh Whyle, leading to veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander skying high to intercept the pass, sealing the win for the Steelers.
After his first NFL loss, Levis stated that he was simply trying to make a play on the third-down throw and wishes he would have thrown a better ball to Whyle.
“A couple throws I missed here and therw. That last one, just trying to make a play and [thinking] how it could’ve turned out differently, like maybe take a shot somewhere else, but need to give him a ball,” Levis said to reporters after the loss, according to video via TennessseTitans.com. “I wanted Josh to climb the ladder for me and need to give him one to jump up and go get. So, didn’t make the play. Gonna do my best to make it next time.”
In just his second NFL start, Levis had some ups and downs. One of his biggest downs was the misfire to Whyle, leading to the game-sealing interception from Alexander. Prior to the ill-advised throw, Levis was playing quite well.
On the final drive of the game, Levis had completions of 11 and 12 yards to tight end Chig Okonkwo, an 11-yard throw to Kyle Phillips and a 29-yard throw to Chris Moore, getting the Titans in scoring position down four points.
Ultimately, he couldn’t make that last throw into the end zone to lead the Titans back. He was nearly picked two plays prior to Alexander’s interception as Steelers defensive back Darius Rush jumped a route over the middle and got his hands on the football but couldn’t complete the play.
It wasn’t the best throw from the rookie quarterback and the veteran linebacker in Alexander made the key play. It helped lead the Steelers to the win, pushing Pittsburgh to 5-3. It also provides a learning experience for Levis, who showed real flashes of being a franchise quarterback moving forward.
