Titans head coach Brian Callahan didn’t mince words Sunday after his fiery message to second-year quarterback Will Levis was caught on camera in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Jets.
Appearing at the podium following the 24-17 defeat in front of the home Nashville crowd, Callahan called out Levis’ blunder in the second quarter, when a failed toss to running back Tyjae Spears near the Jets’ 10-yard line resulted in a recovery for Gang Green, prompting Callahan to seethe, “What the f–k are you doing?”
“I think the camera got it pretty clear if I had to guess,” Callahan told reporters. “Yeah, I was upset. It was dumb. It was the same exact thing he did last week, and he cost us points in the red zone. That is what it is, he’s a grown-up, and he knows better and so, I was really irritated that he cost us three points in a game that we probably needed it.”
Levis and the Titans were up by seven when the former second-round pick turned the ball over while under pressure.
It marked the second straight game where Levis committed a turnover at a crucial moment. He was intercepted late in a Week 1 loss to the Bears, calling it a “bonehead play.”
“I just can’t let that happen,” Levis said afterward.
The Kentucky product — who is in his first season with Callahan following Mike Vrabel’s firing — went 19-for-28 for 192 yards paired with a touchdown and an interception. He was also sacked four times.
Callahan, the former Bengals offensive coordinator, added Sunday that Levis has “got to protect the ball better.”
“We can’t have it. He’s got to protect our team better,” Callahan said. “… It’s inexcusable to do those types of things.”
The Titans are looking to avoid the dreaded 0-3 hole — and perhaps another Levis gaffe — next Sunday when they host the Packers and former Tennesse quarterback Malik Willis.
Willis, the Titans’ third-round pick in 2022, was traded to the Packers in late August and is coming off a win after starting for the injured Jordan Love.