Thursday Night NFL Preview: Steelers Host Will Levis, Titans

While the NFL and its fans recover from a busy week of horse trading, two former division rivals square off in Pittsburgh Thursday night.

And it shapes up to be a game that football romantics might describe as young quarterbacks passing in the night. 

A description that, for the less romantic among us, also applies to two signal-callers heading in opposite directions. Pittsburgh’s QB Kenny Pickett comes into the game with banged-up ribs, an injury that kept him from playing in the second half Sunday in Pittsburgh’s 20-10 loss to Jacksonville. If he is unable to go or reaggravates the injury, Mitch Trubisky, as he did against the Jaguars, will step in. 

One imagines that a better relief performance by Trubisky against Jacksonville (two INTS, rating of 51.2) would have encouraged Mike Tomlin to start him ahead of the injured Pickett. But even a healthy Pickett seems to hang to his starting QB position by his fingernails. 

The other quarterback, Titans’ rookie Will Levis saw his era officially commence last week. His four TD passes — three to wideout DeAndre Hopkins — sparked a win over visiting Atlanta and a wave of rhinestone-glittered excitement in Nashville. 

So, even though host Pittsburgh comes into Thursday’s game with the better record, the Titans come in with the energy and positivity.

For Pickett to perform well enough to stay on the field, he and the 30th-ranked Pittsburgh offense need to reverse their season-long trend of absolutely miserable starts, which predates Pickett's tender ribs. Last week against the Jags was no different; the Steelers went three-and-out on their first four possessions. This week, they line up against a pass defense, which allows quarterbacks to complete 69 percent of their passes and recorded just two interceptions in the first seven games this season.

But for Pickett or Trubisky to take full advantage of Tennessee’s shaky pass defense, the Steelers’ underwhelming running game needs to kick into gear. Pittsburg’s ground game averages 79.7 yards per game. Either QB will benefit against the Titans should Najee Harris (313 yards, 3.7 average) and Jaylen Harris (171, 3.9) make more noise from the running back position.

Whether Pickett makes it to second half or Trubisky is again called upon, they will both look for George Pickens to make plays. The ascending WR posted two 100-yard receiving games in October. He received much-needed help from receiver Diontae Johnson, who recorded 13 catches for 164 yards in the two games (vs. Rams, Jags) since his return from injury.  

We figure on Levis to keep looking for Hopkins, whose pre-trade-deadline grumbling subsided once he and the rookie QB became besties. In addition to posting his second career game with three scores, Hopkins racked up 128 yards receiving. Derrick Henry complemented the Levis-to-Hopkins connection  against Atlanta with a season-high 22 carries on his way to 101 yards rushing. The key to Henry getting enough carries to impose himself on the game is for Tennessee to be ahead or within a single possession.

If Pittsburgh’s offense persists in its first-half awfulness, then — win or lose — Pickett’s starting role continues its week-to-week death watch. If Levis turns out another four-TD performance on the road, and on National TV, then Titans’ fans will again strew plaudits and flowers before him. 

How romantic.