Will Levis leads 2 late TD drives as Titans pull off MNF shocker،
MIAMI GARDENS – The Tennessee Titans put together a great game against the Dolphins on “Monday Night Football,” rallying from a 14-point deficit in the final minutes of the game to knock Miami out of first place in the AFC.
Rookie quarterback Will Levis played a big role in the comeback, leading the Titans on two touchdown drives in the final 4½ minutes to secure the improbable 28-27 victory.
Levis threw for a career-high 327 passing yards, becoming the first rookie to throw for 300 yards on “Monday Night Football.”
“I just stuck to the game plan,” Levis said. “Throwing to the open guy, knowing that I didn't necessarily need to force anything. That happy medium of pushing him down the field but throwing to the open guy.”
Tennessee was a 13.5-point underdog, making its victory the third-biggest upset in “Monday Night Football” history.
“Earlier in the week we were expected to lose by 25 points,” Titans passer Arden Key said. Nobody thought we were going to win. Everyone thought it would be another Miami versus Broncos type thing and they would have put us at 70 points.”
According to Elias Sports Bureau research, the Titans are the first team to win a game in regulation after trailing by 14 or more points with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter since the Raiders on September 12, 1976, against Pittsburgh (led by 28). -14, won 31-28).
Entering this week, the Dolphins' red zone offense was scoring touchdowns on an NFL-high 75 percent of its visits inside the 20-yard line. Tennessee's top-ranked red zone defense allowed just two touchdowns in five visits to the Dolphins' red zone, with each of them reaching the Titans' 10-yard line.
“We need to get more three-pointers in the red zone,” Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill said. “Because every point counts, especially in situations like this, against a very good team like this.”
Levis, a second-round pick making his sixth career start, led a nine-play, 75-yard drive that took 1:54 late, capping it with a 3-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins and a field goal by 2 points. conversion throw to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
With 2:40 left after Hopkins' TD, ESPN Analytics gave the Titans a 4.8% chance of winning if they attempted the PAT – but that increased to 6.2% when attempting the 2-point conversion, a clear “go for situation 2”.
“I think it just comes down to the research and analysis we've done to give you the best chance to win in regulation,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “You're going for 2 there. I liked the call. That's how it goes.”
The Titans got a stop and Levis hit Hopkins for 28 yards and Chigoziem Okonkwo for 16 yards to put himself in scoring position. Derrick Henry scored on a 3-yard run, and the extra point gave the Titans a one-point lead.
ESPN Stats & Information and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
