Titans Film Study: Titans Failed Will Levis with Pressure, Play Calls and Drops in Week 10
The Tennessee Titans can't win a game on the road. The offense hasn't shown the ability to get anything going when away from Nashville regardless of who is at quarterback or the opponent. That trend continued in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the Titans only managed to produce six points.
Rookie quarterback Will Levis was making his third start and there will certainly be folks ready to point out his pedestrian box score numbers as a reason to critique him. Levis completed 19 passes on 39 attempts for 199 yards with an interception and has not thrown a touchdown pass in two weeks after his electric four-touchdown debut.
While it would be easy to chalk this drop off up to a rookie coming back down to earth, the reality is, this offense is completely failing Levis at the moment. He's under insane pressure and the conservative nature of the team's general philosophy gives him little creative relief during the onslaught of the game.
Levis was under pressure 44% of the time in Week 10 for a total of 21 pressures on 47 pass plays. To add to it, the Titans dropped five passes in the game according to head coach Mike Vrabel. Pressure, drops and a lack of creativity on offense, that is how you fail a young quarterback.
Levis isn't a statue. He has athletic ability and can play on the move. The Titans seemingly forgot this or appear to have never known. When you have a struggling offensive line, it's commonplace to move the pocket, using rollouts and bootlegs to try and get your quarterback easy throws and away from pressure.
It is also possible to use Levis in some quarterback run game. A simple read option like we have seen numerous times with an older Ryan Tannehill could potential loosen a defense up and not only get some yards, but help the running game.
The Titans are using a base playbook that doesn't cater to their young quarterbacks strengths or to their talent's weaknesses. The majority of blame can go to the talent on the roster, yes, but at some point coaching has to help too.
So, while it is easy to point to some stats and say the quarterback is not playing well, a simple look closer and it is obvious that all three aspects of the offense outside of the quarterback, are not doing their part.
Related stories on Titans-Bucs
- WEEK 10 WINNERS & LOSERS: The Tennessee Titans dropped another road game, falling to 3-6 on the season and while it was mostly a dreadful performance, there were some winners mixed in with the losers from Week 10. CLICK HERE
- VRABEL SHOWS CONCERN: The Tennessee Titans offensive line has been so poor to this point that the head coach is worried most for the health of his players, namely rookie quarterback Will Levis. However, Mike Vrabel is confident they can correct the issues upfront. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: The Tennessee Titans traveled to Tampa for their Week 10 matchup with the Buccaneers, and the outcome didn't go the Titans' way. The Buccaneers won 20-6. Here are the best photos from the game. CLICK HERE
- DRIVE CHART: The Tennessee Titans took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 and lost by a score of 20-6. Her
