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Coach of Jaguars' AFC South Rival Shades Own QB
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) heads off the field after throwing a fourth quarter interception against the Indianapolis Colts during their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars' bitter rival, the Tennessee Titans, have struggled this season. They are 1-4 and can't seem to find ways to win, similar to the Jaguars. However, the catalyst for this failure might be their quarterback, unlike the Jaguars.

Will Levis is struggling mightily in Year 2 -- he has just 699 passing yards in five games with five touchdowns to seven interceptions. His turnovers have been egregious and more than once the deciding factor in a Titans loss.

Head coach Brian Callahan might be running out of patience with the young quarterback, who had plenty of red flags coming out of Kentucky in the 2023 NFL Draft.

After an AFC South loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6, Callahan seemed to quietly call out his quarterback for the offense's woes.

"You've got to throw the ball in the NFL to win," he said. "You can run the ball really well and we do. But we've got to find ways when the game is tight and throw it to make enough plays to give us a chance to win the game."

It seemed Callahan blamed conservative play-calling on his second-year quarterback. Levis is a big reason why the Titans continue to blow winnable games, and Nick Suss of The Tennessean wrote that the partnership between the coach and his quarterback is a "loser."

"The Titans hired coach Brian Callahan to get the most out of Levis," Suss wrote. "So far, this seemingly has worked only in getting Levis to start completing a significantly higher volume of his passes. Big plays are down. Turnovers are up. Facing a Colts team Sunday that went into Week 6 with the NFL's worst defense, the Titans completed just two passes that gained more than 10 yards. One of them was the last scrimmage play when the Colts had their defensive backs lined up in Clarksville.

"There's nothing inherently wrong with a short-yardage-focused, dink-and-dunk-style offense. The problem is that the version the Titans are running isn't producing results. Callahan and Levis need to either prove they can sustain an offense built around the short stuff or figure out ways to incorporate big plays more successfully. This middle ground isn't working, and it won't be enough to keep things competitive against Detroit (4-1) or Buffalo (3-2 before its 'Monday Night Football' game against the Jets)."

Levis' growing pains are costing the Titans wins. If they don't have the patience to develop him, it could be a wasted pick big enough to set the franchise back.

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This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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