In his first career NFL start, Will Levis dazzled.
No one knew what to expect from the rookie quarterback, and he ended up surprising everyone — including his family — with a four-touchdown performance to help the Tennessee Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-23. (He even opened the door to an awesome DeAndre Hopkins quote.)
But even though Levis shined, his backup and second-year Titans quarterback Malik Willis still received occasional snaps in a competition. With Tennessee playing at home, this led to a lot of strange booing of Willis by his team’s own fans. In his postgame press conference, Levis made sure to highlight this discrepancy, crediting Willis for helping him and the offense prepare. What’s more, he asked Titans fans to “treat him [Willis] correctly” next time.
Phew. Now that’s a great teammate:
Asked Will Levis about being the spark the #Titans needed. He wound up addressing the boos for Malik Willis. pic.twitter.com/0hNjMKWMTx
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) October 29, 2023
Levis was under no obligation to stump for Willis. But even after the best performance of his young pro football career, he stood up for his teammate and friend. That is him showing off some remarkable character and leadership.