Malik Willis might end up being a very good quarterback for the Tennessee Titans at some point in his career, but he still has quite a ways to go before he gets there.
To say Willis has struggled in his first handful of appearances would be quite an understatement, and it is putting him in some rather infamous company.
He has failed to reach the 100-yard passing mark in any of his first three starts, making him just the third quarterback in the past 40 years to fail to do so. The other two quarterbacks on that list are Dan McGwire and Nathan Peterman.
In his starts against Houston, Kansas City, and Houston again he has managed to throw for just 55, 80, and 99 yards respectively. Combined with some mop-up and reserve duty in a handful of other games, Willis has completed just 50 percent of his pass attempts, thrown for only 276 yards (4.5 yards per attempt), and has yet to complete a touchdown pass. He has also thrown three interceptions and fumbled twice.
It has been a challenge.
Even when he was projected as a potential first-round pick (he ended up falling to the third round) Willis was always viewed as more of a project than an immediate starter, and it has definitely been a struggle for him so far.
Part of that is the Titans really limiting the offense when he is in, barely allowing him to throw and leaning heavily on the ground game and his ability to make plays with his legs. Willis has attempted just 49 passes in his three starts. Another part of it has been a dreadful offensive line around him and the fact the Titans traded their one impact playmaker at wide receiver (A.J. Brown) over the offseason.
It’s a short-term concern for the Titans because with Ryan Tannehill’s status for the remainder of the regular season being a huge unknown, they might need a lot more from Willis over the next two weeks if they are going to find a way to reverse their recent slide and still win the AFC South.
The Titans have lost five games in a row and allowed the Jacksonville Jaguars to tie them at the top of the standings, with the Week 18 game next week being a winner-take-all game for the division regardless of what happens with their games this week (Tennessee plays Dallas; Jacksonville plays Houston).
The struggles of the offense have been at the center of that slide. The Titans are averaging just 17 points per game this season (27th in the NFL) and have yet to score more than 24 points in any game.
