close
close

Why the Tennessee Titans started Mason Rudolph instead of Will Levis against Bills

Posted on by Kennedy
Why the Tennessee Titans started Mason Rudolph instead of Will Levis against Bills

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Mason Rudolph had about 24 hours' notice before he could assume the role of starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans.

Rudolph started in place of injured passer Will Levis in the Titans' 34-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and completed 25 of his 40 pass attempts for 215 yards with a touchdown, a lost fumble and an interception. Rudolph told the media after the game that he had only done “a few reps here and there every day” with the first team offense throughout the week of training and did not receive the news that he would start until Saturday, when Levis the AC further tested sprain in his injured right shoulder.

Levis initially injured his shoulder in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins. The Titans didn't have a game the next week, so the young passer had ten days of rest before starting the Week 6 game against the Indianapolis Colts. As Titans coach Brian Callahan explained, that extra rest might have proven a bit deceptive when it came to Levis' arm strength and ability.

Same song, new verse: The Tennessee Titans start strong, but lose at the Buffalo Bills | Estes

“At the end of the (Colts) game, he felt it on a couple of those throws,” Callahan said. “It's hard to simulate what it feels like, how much pressure you put on when you have to make that throw. He came out of the game and it bothered him. And then you take on the whole burden of a week and a game and try.” When you came back on Wednesday, he felt it hurt. His arm strength didn't feel good.

“So we limited him on Wednesday and tried to come back and see if he can progress on Thursday. He played hard on Thursday with the pads on and we had him try every shot we could throw. Every downfield throw. Everywhere in training. And He came out of that practice not feeling well.

Callahan says it was ultimately his decision to fire Levis. So the workload on Sunday fell to Rudolph, who led the Titans with two shots on goal in their first three possessions but struggled to maintain even some of that success. From multiple pre-snap penalties and botched quarterback-center exchanges to missed throws, ineffective runs and dropped passes, the offense found almost every opportunity to fight.

Eight of the Titans' last nine drives went five plays or less, including four that failed to produce a first down.

“That’s no fun,” Rudolph said. “All you can do is go back to Tennessee and keep working. Come up with a good plan for Detroit. We have good people in the locker room. There is no giving up. Just take it one day at a time and keep each other accountable.”

More: Key moments between Titans and Bills: How the Tennessee Titans were embarrassed by the Buffalo Bills

More: New QB, the same result as the Mason Rudolph-led Tennessee Titans, who suffered a blow with a loss to the Bills

Callahan said Levis' status varies from week to week. In his opinion, the problem with AC joint injuries is that they can only heal with adequate rest. Rudolph said he doesn't know if he'll get a higher percentage of reps in Week 8 and all he can do is “attack the reps he's been given.”

But as the Titans prepare for a test against the Detroit Lions in seven days, Levis' status is no longer certain.

“He tried to fight through, and I appreciate that, fighting for his teammates to be able to play,” Callahan said. “But at the end of the day, these things just need some rest. It was the right decision for him at the moment.”

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *