The Titans embrace early bye as chance to regroup with new coach Brian Callahan

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Being among the NFL's first teams having their bye week isn't something the Tennessee Titans embraced when the league issued schedules in May.

After losing the first three games?

The Titans (1-3) are embracing being among the four teams with a bye at Week 5, hoping the time off helps with lots of new starters and a new coach settling in.

“It’ll be a good time to kind of catch our breath and regroup a little bit and get ready for the long haul of the next what, 13 games," left guard Peter Skoronski said. "So obviously our early bye’s not great. You don’t love it, but take advantage of it that much you can.”

Coming off a victory certainly helps, and coach Brian Callahan made clear the Titans are sticking with Will Levis to ensure the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft has a chance to develop. The quarterback is why Tennessee ranks last in the NFL in turnover margin at minus-9. Levis has been picked off six times — two more than in his nine starts as a rookie.

“He needs to play better for us,” Callahan said of Levis who also has lost three fumbles. “And at the end of the day, I believe that he will. That’s where I’m at with that whole thing. There’s no controversy. There’s no second-guessing. That’s what’s happening. So that’s probably as clear as I can state it.”

Levis was knocked out of Tennessee's 31-12 win in Miami on Monday night after hurting his right, throwing shoulder stretching the ball out at the end of a scramble trying to make a first down. He tried throwing on the sideline, wincing in pain. Mason Rudolph finished off the game and showed why the Titans signed him to back up Levis guiding them to their first 30-point performance since Jan. 2, 2022.

Callahan had cautioned the Titans would need at least a month to put all these pieces together after a major offseason makeover. Tennessee fired coach Mike Vrabel after the Titans lost 18 of 24. After they hired Callahan, general manager Ran Carthon spent tens of millions in his second offseason remaking the roster for the man who had been Cincinnati's offensive coordinator.

The Titans took the field Monday night with 12 new starters — five on offense and seven on defense with a mix of draft picks, pricey free agents and a major trade acquisition in cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. Levis has been sacked 15 times behind an rebuilt offensive line anchored by rookie left tackle JC Latham, the seventh pick overall out of Alabama, Skoronski who was the No. 11 pick in 2023 and free agent signee Lloyd Cushenberry at center.

The defense clicked almost immediately under first-time coordinator Dennard Wilson, and the Titans lead the NFL in allowing a league-low 243.8 yards per game and just 124 yards passing per game. Outside linebacker Harold Landry has four sacks, tied for fifth most in the league. They also notched a safety against the Dolphins.

The Titans had a league-worst six interceptions in 2023 and are still looking for their first pick. Linebacker Arden Key recovered Tennessee's first takeaway against Miami.

“We’re very confident in who we are," safety Quandre Diggs said of his new teammates. "We're confident in what we do. And know no matter what, we’re going to go to work. We’ll put our hard hat on, and we’re going to be ready to go.”

Offense is where Tennessee has struggled. Levis' turnovers haven't helped with the Titans blowing a 17-point lead in the season-opening loss in Chicago and an early lead in the home-opening loss to the Jets. Levis has had at least one turnover in each game, not that he was helped as he was sacked a career-high eight times in a loss to Green Bay.

Callahan has his father, Bill, working to mold the offensive line as quickly as possible. The Titans also need more from wide receiver Calvin Ridley, one of their big free agent signees. He has a team-high 141 yards receiving, catching nine of 19 passes thrown to him. Five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has bounced back from an injured left knee that slowed him the first two weeks and now has 10 catches for 121 yards.

The Titans still have yet to play a divisional opponent, though they host Indianapolis on Oct. 13. Callahan said finally winning can help with confidence and he hopes Levis is ready for the Colts so the Titans can start to climb out of the hole they dug for themselves.

“If you want any chance to make the playoffs, any chance to be a competitive team, you got to win your divisional games, as many of them as you can,” Callahan said. “And this is a really important one after the bye.”

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Tennessee Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph (11) aims a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (2) celebrates his touchdown with running back Tony Pollard (20) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Brennan Asplen)

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (2), right, celebrates his touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Tennessee Titans place kicker Nick Folk (6) celebrates a field goal with punter Ryan Stonehouse (4) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan gestures during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Brennan Asplen)

The Titans embrace early bye as chance to regroup with new coach Brian Callahan

The Titans embrace early bye as chance to regroup with new coach Brian Callahan

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) aims a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith has provided a road map for how prosecutors hope to prove their case charging former President Donald Trump with an illegal scheme to overturn his 2020 election loss — if it ever gets to trial.

In court papers unsealed Wednesday, Smith's team details new evidence of Trump's “increasingly desperate” efforts to cling to power even as those close to him sought to convince him that he had lost the presidency.

It comes just over a month before the presidential election that could determine the future of the case.

The Republican presidential nominee, who has railed against the case as politically motivated, slammed the filing in a NewsNation interview, calling it “pure election interference” and “weaponization of the government.”

Here's a look at what the filing means and what's next:

The purpose of the filing is to convince U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington that allegations against Trump can move forward to trial even after the Supreme Court in July ruled that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution.

While the Supreme Court said former presidents have at least presumptive immunity for actions taken in their official role as president, the justices said they are not shielded from prosecution for things they do in their private capacity.

Smith's team is trying to make the case that Trump's prosecution is not off limits because he was acting as a private candidate for office — not a commander in chief — when he schemed to overturn the will of voters. Prosecutors say Trump “must stand trial for his private crimes as would any other citizen.”

“Although the defendant was the incumbent President during the charged conspiracies, his scheme was fundamentally a private one,” prosecutors wrote.

“Working with a team of private co-conspirators, the defendant acted as a candidate when he pursued multiple criminal means to disrupt, through fraud and deceit, the government function by which votes are collected and counted—a function in which the defendant, as President, had no official role."

The case was supposed to go to trial in March in Washington's federal court but was put on hold last December so Trump could appeal his sweeping claims of presidential immunity. Trump had asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the case entirely, saying it the "Presidency itself cannot retain its vital independence, if the President faces criminal prosecution for official acts once he leaves office.”

While the Supreme Court didn't dismiss the case, it effectively stripped from the indictment allegations involving Trump’s dealings with the Justice Department. And it sent the case back to Chutkan to determine which of the remaining allegations in the indictment involve official actions for which Trump may be immune from prosecution and which allegations, if any, can move forward to trial.

In August, Smith's team filed a new indictment that kept the same criminal charges but narrowed the allegations in an attempt to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Trump's lawyers had objected to the filing, accusing prosecutors of wanting to publicize their “politically motivated manifesto” to hurt Trump's campaign in the final weeks before the election.

The defense will now get a chance to respond to the arguments from Smith's team. Trump's response was due later this month, but Chutkan agreed to give the defense until Nov. 7 after they asked for an extension.

Meanwhile, Trump's lawyers are continuing their efforts to have the case dismissed. The defense on Thursday filed court papers challenging the case on legal grounds, saying prosecutors stretched the laws "beyond their breaking point based on false claims that President Trump is somehow responsible for events at the Capitol.”

Trump's lawyers have argued that the allegations in the indictment — including conversations with his vice president and pressing state officials on the administration of elections — cut to the core of Trump’s responsibilities as commander in chief. Trump attorney John Lauro told the judge during a hearing last month that the Supreme Court’s opinion required the outright dismissal of the case — a position the judge made clear she did not accept.

Even if the judge agrees with prosecutors, the case isn't heading to trial anytime soon. Her rulings are expected to be appealed — likely all the way to the Supreme Court.

And if Trump defeats Vice President Kamala Harris, he could appoint an attorney general who would seek the dismissal of this case and the other federal prosecutions he faces. Or Trump could potentially order a pardon for himself.

The filing gives Democrats new material to use as they campaign against Trump and offers voters a reminder of the allegations just a month out from Election Day, even as voting has already begun in some states.

Trump, too, has seized on the report, casting it as yet another effort by his rivals to try to hobble his campaign — complaints that have proven a powerful motivator for his base and a boon for his fundraising.

It’s unclear, though, what impact it will have on voters, given the wealth of detail about the 2020 campaign that has already been released as well as Trump’s multiple indictments. In polling, concerns about protecting democracy have typically lagged behind concerns about issues like the economy and inflation.

That includes a recent CNN poll that found 4 in 10 likely voters said the economy was their most important issue when deciding how to vote, versus about 2 in 10 who said it was protecting democracy.

The issue of protecting democracy appears to be more important for Democrats and voters already backing Harris. Roughly 4 in 10 voters who support Harris say it is their top issue. For Republicans and Trump supporters, about 6 in 10 name the economy as their top voting issue, followed by immigration. Just 5% of Trump supporters said protecting democracy was their top issue.

Associated Press reporters Jill Colvin in New York and Linley Sanders contributed to this report.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at campaign event at Discovery World, Friday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)