NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans (4-7) needed a win on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers (1-10) . Veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins helping rookie quarterback Will Levis shorten the learning curve en route to victory is the kind of progress one can see in real time.

Tennessee did just that in Week 12, sending Carolina packing by a score of 17-10.

"Just being more relaxed back there in the pocket," Hopkins said of Levis. "I'm going to hold him to a high standard and tell him, like I would tell any quarterback, there are some throws out there that I wish he could have made. 

"He definitely made some great throws as well, and I think Will (Levis) can be a great quarterback. I always try to hold him to a high regard, but I think the difference is just him being back there in the pocket and being relaxed and getting a feel for this offense a little bit better."

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The Titans offense still has plenty of room for improvement, make no mistake.

Learning from past errors along with with incremental signs of operational growth between the two en route to a win is as much as fans can ask for. Levis completed 18 of his 28 attempts for 185 yards. Hopkins was on the receiving end of three of those passes on five targets for 49 yards.

The rookie did well to find options, with eight different players catching a pass for Tennessee on the day.

"Looking back for me," Levis said. "I think this was the first game where I’ve had more than a couple of location issues in terms of accuracy. Which I’ve got to keep working and know that I can make those throws. But a couple of third down opportunities where I had someone, and I just missed the throw. 

"Maybe one or two where I could have gone somewhere else with the ball, but I mean the location I just have to trust that I’m going to make those throws and they’ll come next time."

Self-awareness is key at any position. 

Levis' ability to isolate and eliminate in real time or upon immediate review has been one of the most reassuring qualities through his first five career starts. The goal will always be to win the game, but everyone understands the Titans current limitations. While the team works through its eighth (!) different starting offensive line combination through 12 weeks of the regular season, any sign of improvement should not be taken for granted. 

Levis, Hopkins and the rest have a fantastic opportunity to do just that when the Indianapolis Colts (6-5) come to Nissan Stadium next Sunday. 

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JACKSONVILLE — Coach Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans (3-7) are going nowhere this season. You might not have needed the team’s latest defeat to tell you that. Tennessee’s 34-14 failure against the Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3) on Sunday simply felt like another nail in the proverbial coffin. Watching a Vrabel-coached team drop their last seven consecutive […]

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