NFL Week 8 review: Will Levis shines in NFL debut, as 49ers continue to slide with third straight loss

Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis made his NFL debut on Sunday and wasted no time in making teams second guess their decision to let him slide to the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. 

Levis, the 24-year-old former University of Kentucky standout, threw four touchdown passes and finished with 238 yards passing in the Titans 28-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, becoming just the third quarterback to ever do so in their first NFL start. 

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment as a kid my entire life,” Levis said after the game. “Even to just touch the field in an NFL game, let alone get a win, is incredible.”

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Head coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that the Titans will likely start Levis again on Thursday if Ryan Tannehill remains sidelined with an ankle injury. 

While things were looking brighter in Tennessee, the San Francisco 49ers continued to slide, losing their third straight to the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Brock Purdy, the young signal caller who led the Niners on a 15-game win streak, seemed to struggle against the Bengals defense that forced three turnovers in the final 16 minutes in the 31-17 loss. 

“It hurts,” Purdy said. “But at the same time, this is going to be a good time for us to do some reflection and all of us are really hungry for the second half and the stretch that’s about to go down. So we’ll be ready for it.”

Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a shocking upset against the struggling Denver Broncos, and the New York Jets earned bragging rights in the battle of New York with an overtime victory of the New York Giants. 

Here are this week’s scores from around the league.

NFL SCOREBOARD

Bills 24, Buccaneers 18

Jets 13, Giants 10

Jaguars 20, Steelers 10

Eagles 38, Commanders 31

Cowboys 43, Rams 20

Vikings 24, Packers 10

Titans 28, Falcons 23

Dolphins 31, Patriots 17

Saints 38, Colts 27

Panthers 15, Texans 13

Seahawks 24, Browns 20

Bengals 31, 49ers 17

Broncos 24, Chiefs 9 

Ravens 31, Cardinals 24

Chargers 30, Bears 13

Lions 26, Raiders 14

NFL STANDINGS THROUGH WEEK 7

AFC EAST 

1. Dolphins (6-2)
2. Bills (5-3)
3. Jets (4-3)
4. Patriots (2-6)

AFC NORTH

1. Ravens (6-2)
2. Steelers (4-3)
3. Browns (4-3)
4. Bengals (4-3)

AFC SOUTH

1. Jaguars (6-2)
2. Texans (3-4)
3. Titans (2-4)
4. Colts (3-5)

AFC WEST

1. Chiefs (6-2)
2. Chargers (3-4)
3. Raiders (2-5)
4. Broncos (3-5)

NFC EAST 

1. Eagles (7-1)
2. Cowboys (5-2)
3. Commanders (3-5)
4. Giants (2-6)

NFC NORTH

1. Lions (6-2)
2. Vikings (4-4)
3. Packers (2-5)
4. Bears (2-6)

NFC SOUTH 

1. Falcons (4-4)
2. Saints (4-4)
3. Buccaneers (3-4)
4. Panthers (1-6)

NFC WEST

1. Seahawks (5-2)
2. 49ers (5-3)
3. Rams (3-5)
4. Cardinals (1-7)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.