Titans should feel encouraged by Will Levis, Calvin Ridley connection in Week 10

Tennessee Titans starting quarterback Will Levis returned to the lineup in Sunday’s defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers after missing the previous three contests with a shoulder injury. The performance was more up-and-down than Levis’ final statline read. All in all, the former Kentucky standout completed 18 of 23 passes for 175 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

Levis completed a season-high 78.3 percent of his passing attempts. It was just his second multi-TD game of the season. Perhaps most notably, it was also Levis’ first turnover-free performance of the campaign, though he was somewhat fortunate rookie left tackle JC Latham recovered his fumble. He was also sacked on seven occasions.

The main benefactor of Levis’ passing-game success was wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Ridley recorded five receptions on nine targets for 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns. It was Ridley’s second two-TD game of the season.

It was especially eye opening because Levis and Ridley struggled to showcase chemistry throughout their pre-Levis-injury stretch together. In Levis’ first four complete starts of the season, Ridley was limited to eight catches on 24 targets (33.3 percent) for 136 yards and one touchdown. This included an 0-for-8 showing in the starting quarterback’s latest start, a Week 6 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts.

Ridley exploded when Levis went to the sideline with an injury. The former first-round receiver accumulated a season-high 10 catches on 15 targets for 143 yards in Mason Rudolph’s second start. Ridley followed that up with 73 receiving yards in last weekend’s overtime victory over the New England Patriots, again with Rudolph at the helm.

The Titans traded wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs while Levis was sidelined, catapulting Ridley into the unquestioned No. 1 receiver role. Ridley almost immediately broke out of his shell, but that was with Rudolph playing quarterback. Sunday’s performance alongside Levis indicated the $92 million wideout will continue being a viable go-to option for the offense down the stretch.

With Hopkins no longer in the fold, and the aging Tyler Boyd on an expiring contract, the Titans may need to acquire two starting-caliber receivers this offseason. Ridley’s ongoing emergence relieves some of the pressure Carthon will face at the position. Ridley and Levis are coming along, and that’s encouraging.