Will Levis’ preseason debut with the Titans on Saturday featured some positives, but it ended on a sour note.
The rookie quarterback had played relatively well while rotating with Malik Willis, who started the game, but with the Titans trailing by six with 19 seconds remaining, Levis threw an interception to seal the Titans’ 23-17 loss to the Bears.
Levis attempted a throw across the middle of the field, but it sailed past Racey McMath — the closest wideout — and a Bears defender before Bralen Trahan collected the pass, ran a few yards and celebrated with the Chicago sideline.
“Decision-making-wise, thought I did a decent job,” Levis said after completing 9 of 14 passes for 85 yards. “But at the end, had a chance to win the game and got to make a throw to win the game there. Just a shame that didn’t happen, but we’re gonna learn from it and we’re gonna get better.”
Levis said the interception stemmed from a “little miscommunication” and turned into a throw where he “would like to have it back.”
But Levis still logged his first NFL snaps since the Titans selected him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
He took over for second-year quarterback Malik Willis — Levis’ competition for the backup job behind Ryan Tannehill — on the second drive after Willis rushed for a touchdown to start the game.
Later in the first half, Levis helped construct a touchdown drive that ended with running back Hassan Haskins scoring.
Levis’ first completion went to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for eight yards, but he also fumbled on a sack in addition to the costly interception near the end of the game.
In the second half, another drive ended with a missed 48-yard field goal from kicker Trey Wolff.
“It’s just like a football game: It was good and bad,” defensive line coach and acting head coach Terrell Williams, who filled in for Mike Vrabel, said postgame. “Both of them had opportunities in two-minute situations, which was great … Both of them have a lot of things, just like everybody, to clean up. But, again, this experience is priceless for those guys.”
Levis, who started his collegiate career at Penn State before transferring to Kentucky for his final two seasons, had emerged as a possible first-round pick, but he ended up falling to the second day of the NFL Draft, even with his family present in a green room.
It marked the second consecutive year that the Titans selected a quarterback — with Willis, the Liberty product, selected in the second round of last April’s draft — but the expectation is that Tannehill will remain the starter to begin 2023.
Still, the experience generated attention for Levis and his girlfriend, Gia Duddy, and added to their fame before Levis even took his first snap.
“The one positive thing that me and my family took away from draft night is just the attention on social media my sisters and girlfriend got,” Duddy said during an appearance on “The Mid Show” podcast in July, “so that was good.”