For a while on Sunday afternoon, it looked like the Tennessee Titans had the Chicago Bears’ number. A struggling Caleb Williams couldn’t get much going in his debut, and the Tennessee offense was having its way with Matt Eberflus’ highly-touted defense.
Much to the chagrin of Tennessee’s second-year quarterback Will Levis, the elite Chicago defense eventually decided to flex its muscles.
Late in the fourth quarter, after Jonathan Owens sparked a comeback with a blocked punt return, the Titans faced a key third and long. When the Bears brought a well-timed cornerback blitz, Levis probably should’ve just eaten the sack. You live to fight another day and don’t kill your team with the worst possible mistake at that moment.
Instead, Levis threw up a duck while falling to his knees, which Chicago cornerback Tyrique Stevenson gladly returned for one of the easiest pick-sixes you’ll ever see.
https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1832866702180089971
While Stevenson’s play in itself was incredible, helping give the Bears their first win of 2024, I want you to note Levis’ reaction.
Check the replay, and you can see the Titans quarterback falling to his knees in a full-on surrender cobra, knowing he just made an unforgivable, backbreaking mistake. I’m … not sure I’ve ever seen that from a quarterback before, and it’s pretty amusing:
https://twitter.com/ThisActuallyLex/status/1832872404235772146
Ah, the joy and agony of a tight fourth quarter embodied in one sequence between a quarterback and cornerback. Thank you, Will Levis, for capturing the essence of NFL Week 1 to a tee.