Coach Brian Callahan says the winless Titans must play better around QB Will Levis

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — First-year Titans coach Brian Callahan is sticking with young quarterback Will Levis despite all the turnovers through three losses to start the season.

One change already has been made at right tackle to help Tennessee try and protect Levis better.

Right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere was replaced by Jaelyn Duncan after giving up a strip-sack of Levis, one of three turnovers in a 30-14 loss Sunday to the Green Bay Packers. Levis was sacked eight times, the most of his 12 NFL starts.

“We got to play better around him,” Callahan said.

Callahan took his share of blame for a start he did not see coming for a franchise that spent tens of millions of dollars to add talent around Levis.

Callahan is still looking for his first victory as a head coach. He could also blame a defense featuring seven new starters that doesn’t have a takeaway this season. And the Titans’ offense has not scored in the fourth quarter.

Levis, the 33rd pick overall in 2023 out of Kentucky, has eight turnovers in three games. That includes two interceptions returned for TDs. Callahan said he is not going to overreact to an interception.

“We’ve not played a complete game at any phase at any point yet,” Callahan said. “We’re capable of way better than what we put on the field the last three weeks. No one’s coming to save us, so we’ve got to figure it out.”

The Titans did revive Levis’ connection with four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who had been working his way back after missing much of the preseason with an injured knee. He caught six of seven passes thrown to him for a team-high 73 yards and a touchdown.

Hopkins also was the intended target on the pass two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander jumped in front of and returned for a pick-6 inside the final minute of the first quarter. Hopkins said the Titans have to improve, and he also told Levis to keep his head up.

“Obviously, he’s made some mistakes, but we’ve all made mistakes,” Hopkins said. “I’ve made mistakes, we’ve all made mistakes. You can’t kick a man when he’s down. We’ve got to lift him up.”

Levis said he knows the Titans’ success, and lack of, rests heavily on him. He needs to be better and “not put our team in tough spots” like he has the first three games.

“I can only look inwardly as to what I can do and then also just do my best to rally everybody else around me,” Levis said. “But yeah, it’s tough. I’m the quarterback of an 0-3 football team. That’s not something that anyone ever wants to say.”

Callahan said Duncan, a sixth-round pick out of Maryland in 2023, will get a chance to show what he can do at right tackle. Petit-Frere started 21 of his 22 games played since being drafted in the third round in 2022 out of Ohio State.

The coach said he wasn’t sure what has happened after Petit-Frere had a good training camp.

“That job is not solidified by any stretch,” Callahan said.

The Titans have lost 21 of 27, including the seven-game skid to end the 2022 season after Tennessee’s prime-time win at Lambeau Field over Green Bay that led to the firing of general manager Jon Robinson. A 6-11 record in 2023 cost coach Mike Vrabel his job.

Callahan said the Titans need to tackle, protect the ball, take it away and protect the quarterback better.

“We’ll start there, and hopefully that looks better,” Callahan said.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL