Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis put on a show Sunday in a 28-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in his first career start.
"Not a bad debut," Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said on Sunday, via ESPN's Turron Davenport. "We hit some shots down the field. The opportunities to move the ball down the field were there, and we hit 'em."
In place of an injured Ryan Tannehill, the rookie went 19 of 29 passing for 238 yards with four touchdowns for a 130.5 passer rating, joining Marcus Mariota and Fran Tarkenton as the only players in NFL history with four or more touchdown passes in their first NFL game. Levis showed off his massive arm, hitting three TDs of 30-plus yards, the most in an NFL debut all time (excluding strike-shortened seasons), per NFL Research.
"This is a dream come true for sure," Levis said on Sunday. "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, as Vrabel would say."
The performance could lead to Levis earning the starting job outright. Vrabel told reporters on Monday that Levis will likely remain the starter as long as Tannehill is out, and indicated the team will also re-evaluate the role once the veteran is fully healthy.
Levis avoided errors that plagued him some during his college career and got the ball out on time. The 6-foot-4 QB stood in strong against pressure, displaying the ability to take a hit and still make accurate throws. That fearlessness in the pocket will serve him well moving forward.
Entering the NFL, no one doubted the cannon the rookie possesses, and he showed it off Sunday, hitting three of the 10 longest touchdowns by air distance this season, per Next Gen Stats.
"He was ballin', huh," Titans running back Derrick Henry said. "He was playing out of his mind. It was exciting how it came together with him handling the offense and us being able to finish drives and makes some plays."
The Titans play Thursday night in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. Another good showing from Levis could give Vrabel and the Titans' staff reason to stick with the rookie even when Tannehill is healthy enough to return.
