Titans teammates saw Will Levis' ‘destiny’ coming before anyone else
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis took the NFL world by storm with his historic debut against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Levis led a spiraling Titans team to a much needed 28-23 win and became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw four touchdown passes in a debut. Three of […]
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis took the NFL world by storm with his historic debut against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Levis led a spiraling Titans team to a much needed 28-23 win and became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw four touchdown passes in a debut. Three of those touchdowns traveled over 50 yards in the air.
But while the rest of the NFL was shocked by Levis' breakout performance, the Titans roster was feeling vindicated more than anything else. After watching Levis showcase his talent and swagger in the days leading up to the game, his teammates saw exactly what was coming.
Confidence and Swagger
To say the Titans locker room has rallied around Levis would be an understatement. Following the win over Atlanta, the vibes around the facility have been as good as I've seen them so far this season. With just one win, Tennessee has gone from last place in the division and trading away team captains to energized and hopeful.
Friendly competitions and games have returned to the locker room. There have been smiles, and laughs, and dancing on the practice field. The Titans are having fun and are confident as a unit. That all starts with 1.) winning, and 2.) the rookie under center.
As Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said Tuesday, Levis has a swagger and confidence that is clear as day when you watch him play. Up to this point, that attitude has been contagious.
"If you're not confident in yourself and don't believe in yourself, nobody will," said Levis in the locker room on Tuesday. "Same goes for my confidence with the entire offense. Being the quarterback, you've got to make sure you have the right mindset because you know guys are going to be looking to you. You gotta pick guys up when they're down and keep them neutral when things are up. It's definitely a big part of the job."
Other players I spoke to in the locker room expressed a similar belief. Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine told me that over his four NFL seasons, he has learned the importance of being confident in yourself and having a confident quarterback leading the offense.
"Confidence I feel like is half this game. It might even be more than that," said Westbrook-Ikhine. "It was good to see (Levis) have that confidence. You need that out of the quarterback."
Fulfilling Destiny
Meanwhile, Arden Key saw Levis' swagger as a sign of the success he would have leading the team. In a viral video posted by NFL Films, Key is seen reacting to Levis' first career touchdown pass by yelling "I told you" to Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. "No, I told you," Simmons replied in the video. At other points, Simmons can be heard yelling things like "I told y'all, that (expletive) is a quarterback. That damn Will can play, man."
Naturally, my wheels started turning. What did Key tell Simmons (or vice versa) that had them saying "I told you so" after Levis threw a touchdown? I had the chance to catch up with Arden Key in the Titans locker room and his answer did not disappoint.
"It was earlier in the week…I want to say Wednesday. Will threw a pass just like (the touchdown to Hopkins) and I told Jeff (Simmons) 'oh, this weekend is our weekend.' That's why we were arguing back and forth," Key told me. "It was something that we talked about Wednesday and it came to fruition on Sunday."
Key insisted that nobody was surprised Levis threw four touchdown passes. Nobody was surprised he led them to a win. The outside world hasn't always been the highest on Levis, but even his biggest believers (myself include) didn't foresee four passing touchdowns. So how did the Titans know this was coming?
"It was the swagger and confidence that he had all week. It was just destiny for him on Sunday," said Key. The Titans needed a shot in the arm. They got four of them.
Turning the Tide
It's crazy how much things can change in a week. Or in this case, four days. After the underwhelming 2-4 start, the Titans will have an opportunity to get back to .500 with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football.
With little time to prepare and recover, Levis' second career start will be a big challenge in a hostile environment. Acrisure Stadium (formerly known as Heinz Field) is one of the more difficult places to play in professional sports. But should the Titans escape Pittsburgh with a win, things will be back on track in 2023 with the right guy at quarterback moving forward.
As of this moment, the Titans are feeling like they have a second lease on life this season. Winning a big game at home allowed the team to exhale and alleviated some of the building tension with the looming trade deadline.
Tennessee has yet to win away from Nissan Stadium in 2023 and hasn't won back-to-back games since last November, but if the Titans get over the hump on Thursday, this roster will officially have it's swagger back.
Sometimes a new leader in the huddle and locker room is all it takes to catalyze that. The 2019 Titans are a really good example of a team that made a QB change after starting 2-4 and immediately turned the tide.
Will Levis fever is catching in Nashville. That includes the people inside the walls of the facility.
Watch Jeffery Simmons react to Will Levis’ debut the same way Titans fans did
Big Jeff was loving what he saw from Will Levis.
