Young quarterbacks like Tennessee’s Will Levis – in his first full season as a starter – don’t have as long to prove themselves in today’s environment.

-- Photo By Doug Murray | Ap

Welcome to Quarterback Purgatory. Both the Tennessee Titans and Sunday’s opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, reside in the perilous realm of what is and what could be.

The two AFC South rivals are hoping against hope the second-year quarterbacks upon which they are banking their immediate and long-term futures will begin to click with success replacing frustrating struggles.

The Titans’ Will Levis and the Colts’ Anthony Richardson each have less than a full season of regular-season starts, and both have shown enough flash to indicate they could be the solution to each team’s quarterback quandary.

At the same time, both have had maddening miscues and injuries that have kept them from even getting close to that franchise quarterback status.

Complicating the matter is both teams have mostly solid rosters, perhaps even capable of reaching the postseason in a mediocre AFC South if the quarterback play would improve exponentially just to the point of not losing games.

A case can be made that the Titans should be 3-1 instead of 1-3 if not for Levis’ inexplicable carelessness with the football the first two games of the season against the Chicago Bears and New York Jets.

No need to rehash what happened; Titans fans already know all too well of Levis’ head-scratching, game-costing moments.

The Titans’ defense looks solid, and the supporting cast on offense has been significantly upgraded at receiver, though the offensive line is still a bit sketchy, especially at right tackle.

The Colts probably feel their record could be better, too, with a little more consistency from their young quarterback, given that Indianapolis still has running back Jonathan Taylor and a defense that ranks in the top half of the NFL against both the pass and run.

Backups steady the ships

The other X Factor for the Titans and Colts is the fact that the veteran backups on hand for both teams are probably far more capable of leading these teams to the postseason right now than the starters they are trying to develop.

It only took three-fourths of a game in Miami subbing for an injured Levis to get a many Titans fan base ready to cast their lot going forward this season with backup Mason Rudolph.

His numbers were pedestrian (9-of-17, 85 yards), but he was turnover-free and led the Titans to their first win of the season heading into a bye week.

Rudolph, while not spectacular, played well enough. Also, he did get hot down the stretch last year and helped the Steelers earn a wild-card berth after both Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky spit the bit in Pittsburgh.

The Colts are in a similar situation. They have 39-year-old Joe Flacco, who came in when Richardson injured his hip in week four against Pittsburgh and guided the Colts to victory.

Flacco’s performance reminded many of the way he came off his couch last year to take the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs, winning Comeback Player of the Year in the process. Flacco threw for 359 yards and three scores in Sunday’s narrow loss at Jacksonville.

But both the Titans and the Colts know that, with all due respect, Rudolph and Flacco are not long-term answers, and as tempting as it might be to allow them to steady the ship, both teams have a chance to be far better off long-term riding the storm out with their young quarterback.

Finding the answers

The Titans would love for Levis to progress to the point of becoming their guy for the next eight to 10 years and solve what has been a two-decade inability to draft and grow their own franchise quarterback.

Coach Brian Callahan insists Levis has the tools and talent to be that guy, and benching him because of his mistakes after 13 starts (four with Callahan) is not in the best interests of Levis or the Titans going forward.

And he’s right. No disrespect to Rudolph, but how far can the Titans go with another temporary solution at quarterback, compared to one who has plenty of potential if – and it’s a big “if” right now – he can start to figure out what it takes to lead a team at the NFL level.

Likewise, the Colts have to begin to find out how much improvement Richardson can make and whether or not he can stay healthy after injuries limited him to four games as a rookie and has already cost him a game-and-a-half this year.

While some pundits have already been quick to label Richardson a “franchise quarterback,” the truth is he is no closer to that right now than Levis. Sorry, but quarterbacks with a 2-to-1 interception-to-touchdown ratio, a completion percentage just a tick over 50% and 14 games missed in less than two seasons are not franchise guys in the NFL in 2024.

That’s not to say that Richardson can’t be a franchise quarterback. He absolutely can, but it will take some time, some better decisions in his passing and putting himself in harm’s way less often. He’s simply taking way too many hits.

Sound familiar, Titans fans?

It sure seems like Sunday’s game, beyond the scoreboard, is a chance to see whether two young quarterbacks who badly need to develop and improve can take a step in that direction.

Terry McCormick also covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com