The Tennessee Titans benched Will Levis in the second half of their Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Levis got the hook after throwing a pick-six midway through the third quarter – his third interception and fourth turnover of the day. The costly error gave the Bengals a 31-14 lead. Titans’ head coach Brian Callahan turned to veteran backup Mason Rudolph to finish out the game. Now, the team has decided to stick with Rudolph as the starting quarterback moving forward.

Callahan announced that Rudolph will start for the Titans in Week 16, per Kevin Patra on NFL.com. However, the coach made sure to note that the change is only for the season, not Levis’ career. “I still believe in Will. I still believe he can improve. Those things haven’t changed, but for right now, this is the best decision for our football team,” Callahan said.

Levis has had a disappointing sophomore season, throwing for 1,916 yards with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 11 games. The Titans are 2-9 with Levis as the starter and 3-11 overall. The second-year passer had a particularly dismal performance Sunday, completing just eight passes for 89 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Levis also lost a fumble in Week 15 and has turned the ball over 14 times this season.

Titans’ QB Will Levis will watch the rest of the 2024 season

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Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) watches from the sidelines during the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024.
Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Titans selected Levis in the second round of the 2023 draft. He started nine games in his rookie year and has a 5-15 career record in 20 games with Tennessee. The team is now pivoting to Rudolph. The seventh-year veteran has started three games this season, going 1-2 and throwing for 1,015 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions.

It’s unclear how the Titans will handle Levis heading into next season. Some believe the team will move on from the young quarterback. Levis has not done himself any favors, infuriating Callahan on multiple occasions. Poor decision making led to game-wrecking turnovers in three consecutive games early in the season. At one point Callahan lashed out at Levis from the sideline following a particularly egregious fumble.

The Titans head to Indianapolis to take on the Colts in Week 16. Indy’s second-year quarterback is dealing with his own growing pains as Anthony Richardson threw two interceptions in a brutal loss to the Denver Broncos Sunday.