When Will Levis suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter of the Tennessee Titans' matchup against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, the Titans were struggling.
The offense had committed a couple of false starts on the Titans' opening drive, which then ended with an interception – Levis' sixth interception of the season. On the Titans' next possession, Levis dove headfirst on a third down run. After heading to the medical tent, he was listed as questionable and did not return to the game.
Head coach Brian Callahan said after the game that Levis will undergo testing, and if he is healthy he will still be the Titans' quarterback going forward.
But backup quarterback Mason Rudolph stepped up when his number was called, leading the Titans to a 31-12 victory over the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium for their first win of the 2024 season.
"It always feels great to win," Rudolph said postgame. "It feels great to win to get (Callahan) his first, a big one. It's always good to celebrate in the locker room, and for a coach's first win, that's big time...I thought we ran the ball really well – I didn't do a whole lot."
Rudolph completed 9-of-17 passes for 85 yards, as the Titans opted to run the ball on 64.5 percent of their snaps. As a team, Tennessee had 142 rushing yards on 40 carries, with running back Tony Pollard leading the way with 22 carries for 88 yards. Pollard was one of two Titans to score a touchdown, dashing across the goal line with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter to pad the Titans' lead just a little bit more.
Tennessee's first touchdown of the game came from running back Tyjae Spears on another rushing play that put the Titans up 16-6 in the third quarter.
Titans kicker Nick Folk scored most of the Titans' points on Monday; he was five-for-five on field goals (matching his career high), and three of them were over 50 yards.
Miami's offense struggled to gain much momentum against a lockdown Titans defense, managing just three first downs and 184 total yards of offense. Quarterback Tyler Huntley – Miami's third different starting quarterback in four games – completed 14-of-22 passes for 96 yards and the Dolphins rushed for 106 yards on 30 carries.
The Titans weren't perfect Monday night, as they committed eight penalties for 69 yards and were able to convert just two third downs. But they got their first win under Callahan, who is in his first year as an NFL head coach, and scored at least 30 points for the first time since Week 17 in 2021.
"I don't know if I can put it into words for you," Callahan said. "It feels great, most importantly because our guys deserve it. These guys work hard, and they practice hard, and they do everything right. They deserve to win. It's good to see some smiles, and some energy. I thought we played a really good game tonight."
With the Titans' victory, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the only team in the NFL to not have a win this season, sitting at 0-4 and last place in the AFC South. The Titans have a bye week this week before they face off against the Colts at Nissan Stadium in Week 6.
