Titans 16, Steelers 20
WILL LEVIS: I mean, losing sucks, especially at this level. So hard to win games, and when you got an opportunity like that to win at the end and doesn't happen, makes you feel a whole lot worse.
Credit? To them. They made the plays when they needed to and we didn't. Just got to get back to work.
Q. Will, saw you sitting there with your eyes closed. What was going through your mind?
WILL LEVIS: Just trying to replay in my mind a little bit of some of the things that happened. Obviously the knee-jerk reactions are obviously a little different. Once you go back and watch the tape things are usually not as bad as they seem, or if they're really good they're not as good as they seem.
Just trying to replay in the heat of the moment how I felt in that moment and what I could have done. Just needed to take a couple breaths.
Q. What were the particular moments that came to mind?
WILL LEVIS: End of the half and end of game situations specifically. Just the end of the game. Couple throws I missed here and there. That last one, just trying to make a play and how it could have turned out differently. Maybe take a shot somewhere else.
But need to give him the ball. Wanted Josh to climb the ladder for me, and need to give him one to jump up and go play. Didn't make the play; going to do my best to make it next time.
Q. You mentioned the end of the half on the third and ten. I guess most quarterbacks would like a chance to throw it in the end zone there because incompletion gets you the field goal and maybe there is a touchdown to be had there. Is that something you think about?
WILL LEVIS: Not really. I was pumped to be able to go down and get points in that 1:16 I think it was to get down there, and just get anything I think was a win for us. Obviously want to get the touchdown but want to be smart, and I trust the coaches with their play calls and we're going to go out there and execute whatever that is.
Q. Were you happy with you moved the ball? I guess not being able to finish some of those drives...
WILL LEVIS: Got to finish drives. Yards don't mean anything if you don't finish those drives for sure. We're not going to force anything. We're just going do our jobs and play the field position battle if we need to.
Obviously you want to score points, and couldn't get it done as much as we needed to tonight.
Q. Will, they do a good job of pressuring the quarterback all the time anyway, but how do you feel about hanging in there until the last second? Did a pretty good job of that tonight.
WILL LEVIS: Just trusting my guys up front. I mean, they a heck of a job. We rotated a bunch guys in there tonight, so I am proud of how those dudes stepped up and played. I'm trusting them regardless of who we go against to be able to step up and keep my eyes downfield, so I just got to keep playing that way and trusting that we're going to hold up.
Q. How do you think you handled the operation in this loud environment? No delay of game, especially on the last drive.
WILL LEVIS: Yeah, it was pretty loud. I've been in louder so it was nothing crazy. I think we did a good job simulating the environment in practice this week of making it louder than it was out there, so we were good on the operation and the communication.
Those fans showed out and didn't make it easy for us, but we got the job done for the most part operation-wise.
Q. You made throws with people hitting you, holding on to you. How confident are you that if you're alive in a play you can -- odds are you can do something?
WILL LEVIS: Yeah, it's give and take. Obviously if the throw is there you want to know when you have the opportunity to make the throws. Sometimes the guy is draped over you you know that you can effect the path of the ball. It's a feel thing, a trust thing with me and just my ability to throw the ball.
Going to keep feeling that out as I keep playing these games, because these are the only opportunities I do get hit. So just trusting the guys that are there are going to get to the ball and trusting I can make the throws.
Q. How do you think that's gone? Do you think you've done pretty well with that so far?
WILL LEVIS: Pretty well. Obviously only have one game of tape to go off. I think tonight there were a couple points I can think of where we were able to hold up enough and give me enough time to get the ball off even if someone did touch me.
That's what it takes to win in this league, to make plays like that.
Q. Treylon made great effort on that one play. To see him make that effort and get carted off, how tough that was?
WILL LEVIS: That's scary. That's the scary part of this game, the fact that someone gets carted off the field and we just act like it didn't happen. That's football. It's part of the game that we have to accept. I'm praying for him. Yeah, he almost made a heck of a play.
Q. Did you have a chance to talk to him or see him after the game?
WILL LEVIS: I just patted him on the shoulder here. Seems like -- I'm not going to speak for him, but he's up and moving so that's a good sign.
Q. As a rooking do you feel like you earned your teammate's respect the last couple games?
WILL LEVIS: I don't need to think about that. I'm just trying to do my job and not looking for approval from anybody. Just trying to go out and win games and do what's asked of me at the position.
Q. As you were leading into this game, did it live up to what you thought it would? Noticed when they were playing Renegade seemed like you were into it, kind of into the moment.
WILL LEVIS: Yeah, you got to enjoy environments like this. This is football. You got to have fun with it. If you're not, why are you playing it?
That's a cool tradition they got here. Obviously Steelers is a historic franchise and they've been doing that for 20 years now or whatever. Song is a banger. Good song.
Been playing it all week at practice and been stuck in my head, so cool to see the real thing.
Q. All the deep shots last week, did you feel like they were trying to take those away? Was it more difficult?
WILL LEVIS: Yeah, credit to them. They guarded us well. They had a good game plan defensively I thought to limit some of those shots I feel like.
But, you know, just by the game plan we didn't have as many opportunities as last week just because of how they were playing us. Just got to play the position and take the throws they give you.
Q. ...last week, how do you manage emotions from week to week? I guess it's got to be key to being a good NFL player.
WILL LEVIS: Just staying neutral. Not letting the highs get you too high and the lows get you too low like you just said.
If even I had the same game I did last week, I feel like how I wake up in the morning and how I prepare for next week would be the same. So that's important, especially at this position, just to keep neutral attitude about everything, and I do my best to do that.
Q. You mentioned no the worrying about winning anybody's approval. Do you feel like you've earned the right to be the starting quarterback the rest of the season?
WILL LEVIS: That's not my decision. I'm going to let the coach make that decision and just going to keep doing my job.
Q. Good looking jacket.
WILL LEVIS: Yeah, this is sweet. I love this. They gave this to us at the rookie premier out in LA. Me and Tajae went out there. Shout out to the NFLPA. Pretty cool jacket.
Q. Philips, what do you like about him?
WILL LEVIS: He just ran good routes. I trusted him. The one connection we had down the middle in two minute was something me and him had talked about pre-game. For us to get the coverage we were looking for to get that was a cool moment between us.
He was there for me all night when I needed him. We got to keep working and trusting he can be a good part of this offense, and I know he's going to keep balling out.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports