Titans Coach Sounds Off on Will Levis Benching

Will Levis is on thin ice for the Tennessee Titans.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) watches the action from the sidelines during the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Titans made a bold move to bench Will Levis following his third interception in a 37-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15 inside Nissan Stadium.

Titans head coach Brian Callahan explained the decision he made in the third quarter after Geno Stone returned an interception for a touchdown.

"Today wasn't (Levis') day," Callahan said via A to Z Sports reporter Buck Reising. "He had a couple of bad picks, put us in some tough spots. So, I made the decision to sit him down and try to give us a little bit of a spark.

"And I think we had a series there, it was like three turnovers in like seven plays or something. Again, not all his — the fumbles weren't his fault, but one of them was. And those are things that you have to do sometimes for a quarterback when they're struggling a bit and he was struggling today."

The benching was a wakeup call for Levis, who has been fighting for his starting job the entire season. Even though the Titans have been eliminated from playoff contention, Callahan is trying to still remain competitive and get the most out of his players.

Levis must now figure out how to respond after three lackluster performances in a row. The Titans know he is capable of being a strong quarterback, as evidenced in the team's last win against the Houston Texans last month, but can he be consistent?

Levis could get a chance to answer that question in practice this week before playing the Indianapolis Colts on the road in Week 16.

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