The Tennessee Titans pulled off one of the most improbable wins of the season after they beat the Miami Dolphins, 28-27 — and it was one of the most improbable wins in NFL history to boot.
Coming into the game, I’d be lying if I said any fans believed the team would win. The Dolphins were 14-point favorites, undefeated at home, and had an offense that was averaging 32 points per game.
However, the Titans proved everyone wrong and showed what this team is capable of when it’s on it’s “A” game and was the type of performance fans had been dying to see all year long.
Rookie quarterback Will Levis and star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins were awesome, and the defense complemented them by suffocating an explosive Dolphins offense for four quarters.
Even after some miscues that would normally sink them, the Titans brushed it off and still found a way to come out on top.
Since 2016, teams lost 767 straight games when down 14 points in the final three minutes. That changed on Monday thanks to the Titans’ efforts on both sides of the ball.
While this win probably won’t save their season, it should do wonders for the confidence of Levis, and for the morale of the team as a whole. It also ended Tennessee’s miserable streak of not winning a game away from Nissan Stadium that dated back to November 2022.
This article is going to discuss a couple of narratives floating surrounding Levis’ development, the outstanding defensive showing, and next year’s draft.
Without further adieu, let’s dive right into this week’s truths and overreactions.
Truth: This was Will Levis’ biggest win of his young career
While everyone will point to Levis’ phenomenal debut, this was undoubtedly the best win he’s had as a professional quarterback thus far.
The Titans weren’t supposed to have any chance in this one, yet Levis found a way to lead them to victory.
He had every excuse to pack it in, especially after throwing a disastrous pick-six earlier in the game. Instead, he punched back every time his team needed him to.
Then, when the Titans gave up 14 points in a blink of an eye after offensive and special teams miscues, he punched back again, scoring 15 points in a little over three minutes.
DeAndre Hopkins on QB Will Levis: “I saw a dawg out here today. That kid is going to be great. I’m always in his ear, trying to help him. I know he’s still got a lot in his tank… Ima still be on him when we get back. But Will showed heart. I love competing and playing with him.” https://t.co/oDRnNIKkOY
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) December 12, 2023
The Kentucky product also made several big-time throws in this game where he showed off his rare arm talent that made him an intriguing prospect to begin with.
The young quarterback wasn’t perfect and there were definitely some rookie growing pains mixed in there as well, but this was the type of performance that has made every Titans through-the-roof excited over what he could become down the line.
Levis finished the day completing 60 percent of his passes (23-of-38) for 327 yards and one touchdown to one interception.
Overreaction: A loss would’ve been a better result
Coming into the day, many fans were thinking about whether or not this team could find itself picking in the top five of next year’s draft.
While that is certainly still possible considering there are a whopping six teams with matching 5-8 records, Levis’ overall development matters more than anything right now, and this win will do wonders for that.
These are the types of performances and outcomes you want to see him have ahead of the offseason. The experience he gained in a tight game like this will be invaluable for his long-term development.
As awesome as picking in the top five would be, building some positive momentum for your young franchise quarterback trumps everything.
Only time will tell how this season plays out, but if the Titans end the year knowing for a fact that they have a budding star at quarterback, they can consider that the biggest win of the season, regardless of the final record.
Truth: This was the Titans’ best defensive showing of 2023
The Titans’ defense was completely outmatched on paper. The Dolphins were averaging 32 points per game, were undefeated at home, and had a passing attack Tennessee’s secondary couldn’t dream of stopping.
Fortunately for the Titans, football isn’t played on paper.
Tennessee’s defense absolutely dominated this game, and if it wasn’t for special teams and offensive miscues that put the Dolphins in scoring position, the Titans’ defense would’ve only allowed six points.
Harold Landry, in particular, had his best outing since returning from his ACL injury, producing three sacks while consistently displaying the type of explosiveness we routinely saw prior to his injury.
The most exciting part about his performance was seeing Landry’s elite ability to naturally bend around the edge once again. He has amassed 8.5 sacks on the year, and he’s only going to get better the further removed he gets from his surgery.
Lastly, please spare me the excuse that the Dolphins had a hurt Tyreek Hill when the Titans didn’t even have their best defender at in Jeffery Simmons.
This is the type of performance we expected to see from this defensive unit all year long. It might be too late to save this season, but it’s nice to see this group getting back on track and building some positive momentum.
