The Tennessee Titans will hand rookie quarterback Malik Willis the keys to the offense in Sunday’s Week 8 matchup against AFC South rival the Houston Texans.
Willis will make his first career NFL start with the Titans ruling out starter Ryan Tannehill on Saturday due to an illness, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Tannehill missed two straight practices due to a stomach bug after being limited earlier in the week due to a sprained ankle he sustained last week against the Indianapolis Colts, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport.
This will not mark Willis’ NFL debut, though, as he got into a Week 2 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. That performance certainly left a lot to be desired from the 2022 third-round draft pick.
Willis will have a clean slate to work with this time and a more favorable matchup as he goes up against a Texans defense that is second-to-last in the NFL in yards allowed per game (411.8).
Willis showed his dynamic, dual-threat ability in the preseason, but will now have to display he can make similar-type plays when going up against a first-string defense. The change at quarterback snaps Tannehill’s streak of starting 49 consecutive games — a Titans franchise record for QBs.
And maybe if Willis can play well and deliver a win to the Titans, he can start his own streak.
