Thursday, January 23, 2025, 5:50PM |  29°
MENU
Advertisement
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) looks on after the team's win against the Atlanta Falcons after an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.
1
MORE

5 things to know about the Titans: Will Levis' 4 TD debut doubles what Kenny Pickett has in any career game

AP

5 things to know about the Titans: Will Levis' 4 TD debut doubles what Kenny Pickett has in any career game

The Steelers will welcome the Tennessee Titans for a primetime showdown Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium. Here are five things to know about the AFC South foe:

Will Levis looked great in his first look – The rookie from Penn State and Kentucky, who infamously plummeted from the top of many draft boards into the second round this past April, was forced to make his NFL debut against Atlanta on Sunday following an injury to starter Ryan Tannehill last week. And he did not disappoint, completing 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns against zero interceptions. His passer rating for the afternoon was a very solid 130.5, and he showed some downfield chops in averaging 8.2 yards per attempt. For context, Steelers starter Kenny Pickett has never thrown three, let alone four touchdown passes in a single game. And he’s never posted a passer rating as good as the one Levis did on Saturday. In fact, he’s only cracked 100 once in far more action than Levis. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s defenses have traditionally performed well against rookies, and that trend may well continue if Levis sees extended action on a short week this week. Nonetheless, this was the type of performance that should get his unit’s attention.

DeAndre Hopkins might be finding his top form – It was reasonable to expect the now 31-year-old former Pro Bowl receiver to start dropping off. That’s why he signed a relatively modest two-year, $26 million contract in the offseason. And yet, he’s shown flashes of his past dominance thus far in October. He was a big reason Levis was able to have success on Sunday, catching six passes for 128 yards and three of the four touchdowns. And back on Oct. 8 against Indianapolis, he went off for 11 catches on 14 targets for 140 yards. His season average is an explosive 16.3 yards per reception. And he’s on pace to total over 1,200 yards, which he hasn’t done since 2020. It will be interesting to see how he matches up against this Steelers secondary. The bad news for the Titans is they don’t have many other viable options in the passing game. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is No. 2 on the team with just 201 yards this season – an average of 28.7 per game. Everyone else is at 145 yards or fewer.

Advertisement

Tannehill was having a rough year before his injury – That tends to happen when a quarterback only has one consistent target to throw to. And it definitely shows up in his stat line. The veteran QB had just two touchdown passes for the entire season entering Week 8. Compare that to 19 sacks and six interceptions, and you understand the theme of the Titans’ season pretty quickly. They enter Week 9 at 29th in the NFL at 180.7 passing yards per game. For context, the Steelers are 25th at 192.0. And you know how much criticism their offense has understandably received. Through that lens, it will be interesting to see what choice coach Mike Vrabel makes if Tannehill is healthy enough to play. Does he stick with his veteran who’s guided them to a lot of wins in the past? Or does he stick with the rookie who’s given his sputtering offense a spark? It’s an angle to this matchup to keep an eye on.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett makes a pass during the second quarter of their game against the Jaguars at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023.
Brian Batko
Brian Batko's Steelers mailbag: Should roughing the passer be subject to challenges?

Derrick Henry has been effective, but limited – Negative game scripts have been to blame for the veteran back’s reduced workload this season. He is on pace for just 291 carries, which would be his fewest over a mostly full, healthy campaign since 2018 when he received 215 attempts. He’s been pretty much the same back when the Titans have been able to get him the ball, though. He averages 4.4 yards per carry, which is just a few hairs off his career average of 4.7. So if the Steelers fail to get a lead and force the Titans to throw more often, it’s possible they could get a heavy dose of Henry at close to his best. Backup Tyjae Spears is another name worth knowing. He’s also eaten into Henry’s touches by averaging 5.8 yards per carry and catching 18 passes out of the backfield. Together, they form a potent 1-2 punch that could bury the Steelers quickly if they’re not careful.

This pass rush will test the Steelers – Believe it or not, the Titans have posted the second-highest sack total of any team the Steelers have faced in 2023 at 21. More than Nick Bosa and the 49ers. More than Maxx Crosby and the Raiders. More than Myles Garrett and the Browns. There’s no one guy the Steelers can gear up to try to stop, either. Denico Autry (5), Jeffery Simmons (4.5), Harold Landry III (4), Arden Key (2.5) and Roger McCreary (2) all have at least two sacks on the campaign. That cohort also has 20 combined tackles for a loss, so they’ve proven dangerous to opposing ball carriers as well. So this will be a good test for tackles Dan Moore Jr. and Chuks Okorafor. If they have a solid effort on Sunday, there will be reason to believe the offensive line as a whole has made substantial progress. If they fail, the calls for first-round pick Broderick Jones will likely become deafening.

Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24

Advertisement

First Published: October 31, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: November 1, 2023, 6:05 p.m.

RELATED
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) plays against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers-Titans: Could Will Levis cause issues for Pittsburgh?
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) looks on after the team's win against the Atlanta Falcons after an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.
Chris Dell
Week 9 Post-Gazette Fantasy Fallout: 100+ waiver wire players to add, drop and stash — plus trade targets
George Pickens of the Pittsburgh Steelers catches a pass to score a touchdown during the third quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Acrisure Stadium on October 29, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers-Titans: Andrew Whitworth on why short week could benefit Pittsburgh
 Steeler QB Kenny Pickett at warmups before their game against the Jaguars on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023.
Ray Fittipaldo
Despite rib injury, Steelers' Kenny Pickett says he will play on Thursday Night Football
Pittsburgh Steelers fans react during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Pittsburgh.
Brian Batko
Brian Batko's Steelers chat transcript: 10.30.23
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Kenny Pickett (8), Mason Rudolph, center, and Mitch Trubisky (10) participate in the football team's mini-camp in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
Joe Starkey
Joe Starkey: Mason Rudolph, anyone? Steelers have that option
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) is helped by a trainer after getting injured against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Pittsburgh.
Ron Cook
Ron Cook: Steelers have an unsettling mix of bad luck and worse execution
Head Coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Acrisure Stadium on October 29, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Gerry Dulac
Mike Tomlin downplays impact of controversial calls in Steelers' lopsided loss
SHOW COMMENTS (22)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, right, plays a “Bucco Trivia”game — inspired by the old $50,000 Pyramid game show from the 70s and 80s — with Pirates fan Owen Howe of Squirrel Hill at PiratesFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Downtown Sunday Jan. 19, 2025. The three-day festival, which wrapped Sunday, features player autograph signings, Q&As, game-show-style events with players and fans and other family friendly activities to gear up for baseball season.
1
sports
Joe Starkey: Pittsburgh desperately needs the Pirates right now. Is anybody home?
Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) and linebacker T.J. Watt (90) stand on the sidelines during an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023.
2
sports
Brian Batko's Steelers mailbag: Is Minkah Fitzpatrick's decline on the player or the coaching?
U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock. Workers penned an open letter this week making it clear that they want the steelmaker to be sold to Nippon Steel, not domestic rival Cleveland-Cliffs.
3
business
Steelworkers make fresh plea to Trump to save U.S. Steel-Nippon deal
Signage is pictured at Penn State University Fayette campus on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Uniontown.
4
news
Penn State’s current campus ecosystem is ‘not sustainable,’ commonwealth campus chancellor says
Michael Lyons, who was appointed president Downtown-based PNC in February, 2024, is leaving to become president and CEO-elect at Fiserv, a global provider of payments and financial services technology.
5
business
PNC president to leave after less than a year on the job
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) looks on after the team's win against the Atlanta Falcons after an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.  (AP)
AP
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story