Will Levis matches Marcus Mariota's NFL record for most touchdown passes in debut

Will Levis matched a league record for most touchdown passes in an NFL debut — with Fran Tarkenton and coincidentally, former Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Levis threw four touchdowns in the Tennessee Titans' 28-23 victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Nissan Stadium. That matched Mariota's four-touchdown debut against Tampa Bay in Week 1 of the 2015 season and Fran Tarkenton's debut for the Vikings against Chicago on Sept. 17, 1961, for the most by a quarterback in an NFL debut.

Regular starter Ryan Tannehill is sidelined with an ankle sprain. Lewis, a second-round pick out of Kentucky, threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns against Atlanta. He had touchdown passes of 47, 16 and 61 yards to DeAndre Hopkins and 33 yards to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

GENTRY ESTES: The start of the Will Levis era? This was what the Tennessee Titans needed

REPORT CARD: Tennessee Titans grades: Will Levis stars in debut and team displays overall improvement

Mariota, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2015, threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns in the Titans' 42-14 win over the Bucs on Sept. 13. Although he did not fulfill the long-term expectations as the Titans' franchise QB, he did have a good start in his first two NFL seasons before injuries and ineffective play caught up to him.

As for Levis' immediate future, the Titans play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. That is a tight turnaround for anyone, and much more so for an injured player like Tannehill facing an aggressive pass rush.

Given that Levis in one game doubled Tannehill's 2023 passing touchdown totals in six games, there will be a question about whether Levis or Tannehill should play once the veteran is fully healthy.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Levis matches Marcus Mariota's NFL record for most TD passes in debut