The Tennessee Titans 2024 season can still go in 4 directions

For the first time since he was hired as the new head coach of the Tennessee Titans, Brian Callahan can enjoy the fruits of his labor. September was brutal for this franchise, but it ended with the first win of the Callahan era.

Not only did the Titans beat the Miami Dolphins in Week 4, they did it on the road and on primetime TV (sort of). In that win, the Titans broke a 1,000+ day streak of not scoring over 30 points in a game, and they won by 19 points, their second-widest margin of victory since the 2021 season.

Those are great achievements and everyone from Callahan to the fan base should be happy, but there is a question that looms over this franchise as they head into the bye week. Callahan has stood firmly behind starting quarterback Will Levis, calling him the starter despite Mason Rudolph replacing him after an injury during the first half of the Dolphins game.

The fan base has turned against Levis in a toxic way, including leaking his personal phone number so that fans could berate him after Week 1 of the season.

Callahan has said that Levis is the Titans starting quarterback when he is 100% healthy. The injury to his shoulder didn't seem too serious and Levis remained in pads throughout Monday night's game. That suggests that if Mason Rudolph was injured, Levis could have gone back in to hand the ball off despite the severe pain in his shoulder.

Before the game, we analyzed what a loss would mean to this team and which changes might be on the table during the bye week. A potential quarterback change was among the hypothetical scenarios on the table.

The Titans are staring down the barrel of a quarterback controversy, and there are only four outcomes that can come from their decision.

1. Will Levis starts and he is bad

In this scenario, the Titans stick to their plan and Levis starts the entire 2024 season. Despite the rest of the team playing at a decent level, weekly turnovers continue to confound the young quarterback as he loses his confidence and snuffs out any hopes for development.

Result: A top-5 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a need at quarterback

2. Will Levis starts and he is good

With a run-heavy offense that minimizes the damage that a struggling offensive line can have on the offense, the Titans fully lean into the formula that won them the game on Monday night. Running the ball 40 times per game is a miserable way to live, but the Titans can use the running game and play action passes to get Levis back to what he was as a rookie, and maybe even better.

Result: A pick in the 16-20 range, a December that matters, and a quarterback worth building around instead of being forced to spend a first-round pick on a signal-caller in a seemingly bad draft class for QBs.

3. Mason Rudolph starts and he is "bad"

Rudolph can be bad, but he is never going to be chaotically bad like Levis can be. Rudolph has had a four-interception game in his career once, but other than that, he has thrown six interceptions in 12 games as a starter.

He isn't going to lose you games because he turns the ball over, but he also can't be the driving force in your offense. Realistically, a "bad" season from Rudolph says more about your skill players and defense not being able to make things happen, than it does about Rudolph.

Result: A pick in the 6-12 range, a season with games no one remembers, and a need at quarterback.

4. Mason Rudolph starts and he is "good"

Rudolph was unspectacular on Monday. In the bulk of his starts, he has averaged right around six yards per attempt, and the difference between a good Rudolph season and a bad one is just going to mean more plays where the offense converts on third down and gives the skill players another chance to create an explosive gain for themselves.

Rudolph is like tap water, and that is great if you are dying of thirst, but it isn't anyone's first, second, or third choice. The problem is, the Titans defense and skill position players (when Hopkins is fully integrated), should be good enough to put you in a position to win games against the AFC South teams that range from pedestrian to bad, as well as teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, L.A. Chargers, and New England Patriots.

A strong argument could be made that a completely neutral quarterback can go 6-3 against those teams, and you know what that means? That's right, a one-way trip to mediocrity and quarterback purgatory, which is the absolute last place Titans fans should want to be.

Result: a 7-10 record, the 17th pick in the draft, and a front-row seat to a living nightmare where the Titans are forced to pay millions for a bridge quarterback that isn't good enough to believe in, but isn't bad enough to put them in position to draft a franchise quarterback.

By my count, that is two good outcomes if the Titans keep playing Levis and two bad outcomes if the Titans decide to go for the short-term payoff of a Rudolph season. We can't stress enough how much this team needs to trust the process with Levis and wait to evaluate their options after the season.