NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis, who threw four touchdown passes in his NFL debut Sunday, is expected to start against the Steelers on Thursday night, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Levis got the start in Sunday's 28-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in place of starter Ryan Tannehill, who suffered a right high ankle sprain in the Week 6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in London and was ruled out Friday.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel on Monday confirmed that Levis would start if Tannehill isn't ready to play Thursday.
"I think we'd probably say if Ryan can't go, we'll move forward with Will," Vrabel said on Monday.
Tannehill is still recovering from the high ankle sprain but was on the sideline for Sunday's game. The injury is similar to an initial high ankle sprain that he suffered last season, causing him to miss two games.
Vrabel fell short of committing to who would be the starter when Tannehill is healthy.
"Until Ryan is healthy, I don't think I'm ready to make a determination," Vrabel said Monday. "That's something that could be a possibility, but we're talking about hypotheticals."
The win over the Falcons put the Titans at 3-4. When asked about any movement before Tuesday's trade deadline, Vrabel left Tennessee's options open.
"We owe it to the team to make sure we listen diligently to anyone that would call on any of our players regardless of player, person or position just to make sure we're doing right by the team," he said.
Levis completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 238 yards and four touchdowns. He joined Minnesota Vikings Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton (1961 vs. the Chicago Bears) and former Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (2015 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers) as the third NFL player with four passing touchdowns in his first career game.
The Titans moved up in this year's draft -- from No. 41 to No. 33 overall -- by sending a 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 third-round selection to the Arizona Cardinals to select Levis with the second pick of the second round.
Despite his record-setting debut, Levis already has his eyes on a big game against the Steelers.
"We got the win, that's all that matters," Levis said Sunday. "Got to get ready for this short week against Pittsburgh."