DeAndre Hopkins offers heartfelt advice to Will Levis after Week 1 meltdown

It simply cannot be overstated how much coverage Will Levis has received for his Week 1 performance in the Tennessee Titans' blown lead last Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

It's a tiring topic that fans are done with, by now. The fan base wants to move on. Heck, Levis and his teammates want to move on. The attention is now all on the New York Jets in Week 2. Forget last Sunday.

Now, maybe "forget" is not the correct term to use, here. If you ask wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, forgetting a bad performance isn't exactly the formula. Instead, it's about using those games as motivation moving forward.

Thursday, Hopkins was asked about his quarterback and if he gave Levis any advice following the rough outing in Chicago last week.

Fans shouldn't be surprised that Hopkins is still the ultimate pro and has taken Levis under his wing, just as he would his own family.

"Will and I talk all the time, that's like my little brother," Hopkins said of his quarterback.

So what advice did Hopkins give his quarterback?

"Teams have been beat worse the first game ... that first game doesn't dictate the season," the wide receiver continued.

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The former Pro Bowl wideout ended the short segment by going into more detail about how he's been part of teams that have opened a season by falling flat on their face, and it gave those teams some motivation to get back up and press forward. Really, the moral was to use that Week 1 performance as motivation:

"I just kind of tell him (about) games and teams, and situations I've been part of and you know ... the first game doesn't always go your way, but just keep going."

DeAndre Hopkins is a Titan for more reasons than just his pedigree and skill set

That's the kind of veteran leadership you like to see out of a player like Hopkins. At this stage in his career, he has dealt with plenty of criticism himself. He is now of the age where his best days are behind him, and there are a lot of people who like to point that out.

Obviously, Hopkins has to know he's not who he was six or seven years ago; or even four years ago, for that matter.

But, it's the experience and wisdom that come into play now, in his role. He's got other capable receivers around him like Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, among some younger names as well.

What he does following a devastating loss like this, and in the face of criticism no matter where it's directed, could be the difference between this team heading in a positive direction or a negative one.

For a young quarterback like Levis who is still learning and developing, he needs teammates like Hopkins constantly in his ear offering positive feedback and encouragement. It is true, to be a good quarterback in this league, one must have the "next game" and "next play" mentality. Whether it be after a bad play or a bad game, in general, it's how Levis responds going forward that matters most, now.

Thankfully, he has a former All Pro on his side for support.