Titans HC Brian Callahan makes decision on Will Levis for Week 18 vs Texans

Tennessee Titans v Chicago Bears - Source: Getty
Titans HC Brian Callahan makes decision on Will Levis for Week 18 vs Texans - Source: Getty

The Tennessee Titans will close their torrid 2024 campaign with an AFC South divisional battle against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium. Neither team has anything significant to play for. The Titans are 3-13, while the Texans are locked in as the fourth seed in the playoffs.

Tennessee is second on the 2025 NFL draft board and would prefer to stay there or climb above the New England Patriots and get the first pick. However, for that scenario to play out, they'd have to lose to Houston, and the Patriots would have to beat the Buffalo Bills' backups.

Despite it being in their best interest to bench their starters and play their backups, the Titans and Texans are reportedly set to field all their stars and go for the win. Tennessee is even making a switch at quarterback. Head coach Brian Callahan announced on Friday that Will Levis, who was benched in Week 15, will start the game against Houston on Sunday.

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Will Levis stats: QB's final chance to prove he can be the starter

After replacing Ryan Tannehill as the starting quarterback midway through his rookie year in 2023, the Titans handed Will Levis the keys to the castle for the 2024 campaign. They trusted the sophomore star to lead their offense, but he did not play nearly as well as expected.

Through Week 14, he had started ten games, missing three due to a shoulder injury, and had an underwhelming stat line of 1,827 passing yards, 12 touchdown passes, eight interceptions, 175 rushing yards and no rushing touchdowns. He also fumbled the ball seven times, losing four.

Despite Levis' poor performances, the Titans persisted with him until his horror display against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. He completed eight of his 12 pass attempts to his teammates for 89 yards, while three of the four that didn't find a Titan went straight to a Bengals defender. In addition to three interceptions, he fumbled the ball and lost it.

Four turnovers in less than three quarters were enough for Brian Callahan, who pulled him out of the game and handed over the reins to Mason Rudolph. The veteran completed 21 of his 29 pass attempts for 209 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, prompting Tennessee to name him the starter.

Rudolph's performance against Cincinnati proved to be a flash in the pan as he struggled against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16 and the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17. He threw for 445 passing yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions over those two outings.

His underwhelming displays have forced the Titans to go back to Levis. However, this might be his last chance to prove he can be a starter next season. If he performs poorly, Tennessee will likely use its first-round pick to draft a quarterback and either cut Levis or relegate him to a backup role. It remains to be seen whether he can bounce back and save his career.

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Edited by Ribin Peter
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