Can Tennessee Steel a Win? Some Say They Ti-Can; Titans @ Steelers Thursday Night Football Preview
It’s been a roller coaster of a week for both of Thursday Night Football’s latest contenders. With Kenny Pickett looking good to go ahead of the prime time game in Pittsburgh and Titans rookie QB Will Levis putting up stellar numbers in his NFL debut, the upcoming contest between these two teams is bound to be one surrounded by question marks and optimism aplenty.
Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel
For the Tennessee Titans, it's no surprise that speculations have started popping up like weeds surrounding Will Levis after his stellar performance against the Falcons, which saw him toss 4 touchdown passes in his very first NFL start against what’s been a quietly good Atlanta defense. After an early fumble by 2nd year quarterback Malik Willis flattened any chance of the Titans swapping centermen throughout the game, Levis took the reins of the offense like Chris Stapleton grabbing hold of a guitar on a Nashville stage; it looked like he was born to play. With starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill posting a QBR of just 32.7 through 6 games, it’s safe to say fans were relieved to see Levis do so well in his debut, even better that he was able to hook up with big name wide receiver Deandre Hopkins for 3 of his 4 TD passes. With the Titans sitting just one game below .500 and over half of the season still left to go, many fans and media sources alike have turned their heads towards Levis and the Titans, even if the Jaguars currently have a stranglehold on the AFC South.
Photo Credit: Kirk Irwin
Levis certainly has a hot hand, and it’ll have to stay hot to melt the Steel curtain fast approaching. Unlike Tennessee, the Steelers and their fans haven’t been able to relax very much across this past week when it comes to Quarterbacks. Kenny Pickett had to leave the team’s 20-10 loss against the Jaguars early on Sunday with a rib injury he sustained on a nasty late hit, with his replacement Mitch Trubsiky doing little to spark the offense in his stead. While Pickett has said he’ll be good to go come Thursday, Pittsburgh’s offense has still had difficulty lighting it up thus far, even with Pickett under center. Going into Thursday’s clash, they rank dead last in the NFL in total offensive yards gained through the 7 games they’ve played. While their defense has been better overall and boasts some major star power in T.J. Watt and a hopefully ready to go Cameron Heyward, the team will be without star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for the night, who suffered a hamstring injury during Sunday’s game.
What to make of this before the upcoming meeting between these two teams? Pittsburgh has been through a lot this season so far no doubt. With all of the negative noise surrounding their offense and with the key injuries they’ve had to deal with early on, things haven’t been easy for Mike Tomlin’s group. That being said, Pittsburgh still suits up for this contest at home and with a winning record, whereas Tennessee has yet to show if Will Levis can lay down the music for a tour, not just a single concert. All eyes will be on Acrisure stadium come Thursday night, and it’ll be fascinating to see if Tennessee can start to turn things around, or if Pittsburgh will continue to win throughout the season.
