Steelers insider Brian Batko breaks down each aspect of Thursday night’s game and lists the team’s key to victory:
When the Titans have the ball
Though they have the fewest pass attempts in the league, no team is averaging more intended air yards (9.4), so when they do throw, they aren’t shy to go deep. Play action remains a staple of that philosophy, which of course works hand-in-hand with terrorizing tailback Derrick Henry. Henry, who turns 30 in January, would be averaging 84.3 rushing yards per game despite facing a lot of eight-man boxes if not for a Browns defense that smothered him for 20 yards on 11 carries in Week 3. Second-round pick Will Levis is filling in for injured QB Ryan Tannehill, and with another sharp performance, he might take the reins permanently. The strong-armed Levis threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns in his NFL debut. They tried to use second-year QB Malik Willis on a gadget play early in last week’s game, but he lost a fumble. The pass-catchers hadn’t been impressive until DeAndre Hopkins looked like his old self with 128 yards and three touchdowns on just four receptions from Levis. Pine-Richland grad and former Steelers backup Kevin Rader has played 29 snaps over the past two games as a blocking tight end.
When the Steelers have the ball
The Titans aren’t blitzing much, but since trading veteran safety Kevin Byard, the heart and soul of their defense, they need to rely even more on generating pressure up front. Fortunately for them, their most talented defenders are linemen Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry, with outside linebackers Harold Landry and Arden Key not far behind. Unfortunately for them, they have the third-worst hurry percentage of opposing quarterbacks and they have an NFL-worst two interceptions to show for it. Former Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds played just 17 defensive snaps in his Titans debut but could be more of a factor going forward. Rashad Weaver, who starred at Pitt, is a backup pass rusher coming off a healthy scratch last week.
Key matchup: Steelers secondary vs. Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins
In their 28-23 loss Sunday, the Falcons had A.J. Terrell travel with “D-Hop” and their No. 1 cornerback ran into vintage “Nuk.”
Hopkins went deep on a go route down the left side, caught a 16-yard slant over the middle and burned a safety with a stutter-go route down the right seam for his three scores. Levis and his ability to fling it deep may have unlocked Hopkins, who’s 31 and signed with the Titans this offseason after two down years in Arizona. He’s listed as questionable after a toe injury kept him out of practice this week, but if he’s out there, he’s a problem.
“Did you watch the game last week? Are you answering your own question right there?” joked Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin when he was asked if Hopkins is still the same guy who made first-team All-Pro from 2017-19. “Yeah, you watch him, he’s got an unbelievable catch radius. He knows how to sell routes. He’s just really good. You don't see anything less from him. I know this: He’ll get all of our attention the best we can this week.”
It will be interesting to see how the Steelers play it and how the Titans try to move Hopkins around the formation. On one side, the Steelers can combat him with long, handsy rookie Joey Porter Jr., who’s been christened a starter — finally — by Austin and head coach Mike Tomlin. If Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly puts Hopkins on the other side, he’ll likely be across from another veteran, Patrick Peterson, who played with him for the Cardinals in 2020.
And if Hopkins gets a chance to use that “catch radius” on Steelers safeties Damontae Kazee or Keanu Neal, that could be a major advantage for Levis. Pressing Hopkins at the line of scrimmage is the best way to neutralize him at this point in his career, but that’s easier said than done — unless perhaps the Steelers elect to put Porter on him 1-on-1. He’s already faced off with the likes of Davante Adams and Odell Beckham Jr., potential Hall of Famers he grew up admiring.
“It’s just football at the end of the day,” Porter said last month of facing Adams and Beckham. “All these guys I used to watch, now I get to go against them and talk my little junk here and there. It’s fun to me.”
To win, the Steelers must ...
Oh, Henry. Derrick is still going strong in Year 8, and the offense still revolves around him, so minimizing his impact will force the pressure onto rookie quarterback Will Levis.
Put up a zero. The No. 1 ingredient in any winning recipe for this team remains taking care of the ball, and no matter who’s at quarterback, they can’t afford to make the big mistakes.
No butterfingers. Drops on offense proved costly last week, and if Levis decides to be aggressive through the air, any interception opportunities need to be secured.
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: November 2, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
