The Tennessee Titans were without starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill Sunday against the Houston Texans, as he was dealing with both an ankle injury and an illness.
This provided a huge opportunity for the ultra-talented (if ultra-raw) rookie Malik Willis, who got the first regular-season start of his NFL career.
A third-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Liberty, Willis definitely looked like a rookie making his first start Sunday, even though the Titans notched the win thanks to a game plan that was built around Derrick Henry. The Titans ended up running the ball a whopping 45 times, including five attempts from Willis himself, who has impressive athleticism for the position.
Willis ended up with 18 yards on the ground, but managed just 55 yards through the air, including an ugly interception in the first quarter. He still completed six of his 10 pass attempts, avoiding any more costly mistakes through the air the rest of the game.
While Willis didn’t light the world on fire in his first regular-season start, this game plan was clearly designed to keep as much pressure off the rookie as possible, leaning on Henry and putting Willis in position to make plays off play-action, as well as with his legs.
If the lead had gotten away from the Titans, a lot more would have been put on the rookie’s shoulders, and he might have had a lot more to show for it. That may yet happen in the future, but for now, Willis and the Titans will happily head back to Nashville with a key win over a division opponent.
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