What Malik Willis did with his starting opportunity

NASHVILLE -- Quarterback Malik Willis got the start for the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night. After a preseason 16-15 win against the visiting Seattle Seahawks, the former third-round pick got extended looks for new coach Brian Callahan and his staff to evaluate.

There is little question that second-stringer Mason Rudolph is the best option behind starting quarterback Will Levis this year, however.

What Malik Willis did

None of Tennessee's started played against the Seahawks, including Levis.

"(Willis and Rudolph) both did really good things," said coach Brian Callahan. "They both completed the ball for the most part. They didn't put the ball in harm's way too much. I mean, Malik (Willis) had a high ball that got tipped for the interception that could have lost the game for us at that moment. But, I thought both of them did well, they operated well. They led the team down and scored points, both of them. So, I'll watch the film a little bit further with some more detail. I can give you some better answers once I watch it. But off the field, my initial impression was both of them played well enough."

Willis fared well, considering the circumstances.

His pocket presence and decisiveness are still a work in-progress, but have clearly improved from his first two years. He made the three longest completions of the game for the Titans, including a 24-yard toss that rookie receiver Jha'Quan Jackson did well to hang on to. Willis also led a 14-play, 73-yard scoring drive in the second half that ended in a 21-yard field goal make by rookie kicker Brayden Narveson.

"I think its awesome," said Willis of the opportunity. "Also, I think that I just continue to try to learn from any miscues I've made in the past, and just try to understand the essence of where I went wrong and just continue to try to build on it. And I think it helps that you’ve got coaches, like I said, that give you the intent of what they want out of the play. I just have to continue to work on not getting so stuck in the progression that I don't realize, ‘Okay, it's breaking down around me, I need to get the ball out a little bit faster and find my quick answers.’"

Tennessee's offensive line reserves did both quarterbacks no favors, racking up four false start penalties and three holding calls.

Willis did still miss open receivers with high throws and was not perfect with his timing.

Willis finished completing 12 of his 16 passing attempts for 116 yards and an interception. The third-year quarterback also added four carries for 30 yards on the ground. It was far from perfect, but the coaching staff wanted to see Willis in live action to determine how much progress he's actually made.

Mason Rudolph leads the comeback

Rudolph led the team's lone touchdown drive.

The free-agent acquisition drove Tennessee down the field in 10 plays on his first possession. Rudolph is a back-up for a reason, and had struggles navigating the pressure Seattle brought. On the whole, Rudolph operated cleanly and kept his teammates poised, getting the last offensive possession of the game with an opportunity to win it with 1:55 left and his team trailing by two points.

Rudolph lead the offense 42 yards in nine plays to set up the winning field goal by Narveson. He completed 10 of his 17 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown on the night.

"It was fun," Rudolph said. "We hadn't had much work in the two minute. And so, I was proud of the way—in practice—I was proud of the way the guys communicated and remembered our operation and huddle. Whether we were in the huddle or no huddle, go over the line, getting out of bounds and run to the ball to the ref. So that's kind of all—it's good to get a dry run in the preseason doing that."

The Titans return to action for their preseason finale on Aug. 25 in New Orleans against the Saints.

Related: Titans rookie JC Latham's path to the NFL was derailed by becoming a child actor

Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.