The NFL Week 9 kicks off with a Thursday Night Football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans, two teams that are dealing with injuries to their starting quarterbacks. Both teams are fighting for playoff spots in their respective conferences, and will rely on their backup signal-callers to lead them to victory. Here is everything you need to know about this intriguing matchup.
Will Levis Shines in His Debut for the Titans
The Titans were without their regular starter Ryan Tannehill, who suffered an ankle injury in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens. Tannehill has struggled this season, throwing only two touchdown passes and six interceptions in six games. The Titans turned to rookie Will Levis, a fourth-round pick out of Kentucky, to fill in for Tannehill against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8.
Levis exceeded all expectations, becoming the only player ever to throw for more than 225 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions while sporting a completion percentage over 65% in their debut. He also became one of three players to ever throw four touchdowns in their debut, joining Fran Tarkenton and Marcus Mariota. Levis showed off his arm strength and accuracy, connecting with A.J. Brown, Julio Jones, Anthony Firkser and Derrick Henry for scores. He led the Titans to a 34-17 win over the Falcons, improving their record to 3-4.
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel praised Levis for his performance, but did not confirm if he will start again against the Steelers. He said that he will evaluate Tannehill’s status throughout the week, but added that he is comfortable with Levis if Tannehill is unavailable.
“I think we’d probably say if Ryan can’t go, we’ll move forward with Will, and then we’ll see where Ryan is,” Vrabel told reporters on Monday during his weekly press conference. “It is a short week, but also, we’ll have to see who is available to us at every position.”
Kenny Pickett Returns for the Steelers After Rib Injury
The Steelers also had to deal with a quarterback injury in Week 8, as Kenny Pickett left the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a rib injury. Pickett, a second-year pro out of Pittsburgh, has been impressive this season, throwing for 1,823 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions in seven games. He has also added 189 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.
Pickett was replaced by Mitch Trubisky, who struggled against the Jaguars defense. Trubisky threw two interceptions and one touchdown in the 20-10 loss, dropping the Steelers to 4-3. The Steelers offense was also hampered by the absence of star wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
However, Pickett told reporters on Tuesday that he is ready to play against the Titans on Thursday night. He said that he feels good and that he is not worried about his rib injury affecting his performance.
“I’m playing,” Pickett said. “I feel good. I’m not going to let it bother me. I’m just going to go out there and do my job.”
The Steelers will need Pickett to be at his best, as they face a tough challenge from the Titans defense. The Titans rank fourth in the league in sacks with 22, led by Harold Landry III with seven. They also have a talented secondary, featuring Kevin Byard, Janoris Jenkins and Kristian Fulton.
Minkah Fitzpatrick Out for the Steelers with Hamstring Injury
While Pickett’s return is a boost for the Steelers offense, their defense will be missing a key player on Thursday night. All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter against the Jaguars and did not return. Fitzpatrick is one of the best defensive backs in the league, with two interceptions and five passes defended this season.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that Fitzpatrick will not play against the Titans, and said that it will take a collective effort to replace him. He said that he will rely on some veteran players like Miles Killebrew, Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal to fill in for Fitzpatrick.
“Obviously the loss of Minkah is a significant one,” Tomlin told reporters on Monday. “It’s a multi-man job, not a one-man job thankfully. We have some veterans back there, guys like (Miles) Killebrew and (Damontae) Kazee and Keanu Neal who are veteran NFL players, and that lessens the impact hopefully, but obviously it’s not a one-man job when you’re talking about replacing Minkah, whether you’re talking about his play-making ability or his hub of communication ability.”
The Steelers defense will have to contend with the Titans offense, which features one of the best running backs in the league in Derrick Henry. Henry leads the NFL in rushing yards with 869 and touchdowns with 10. He is also a threat in the passing game, as he showed last week with a 39-yard touchdown catch from Levis. The Steelers will have to find a way to slow down Henry and force Levis to beat them with his arm.
How to Watch Steelers vs. Titans
The Steelers vs. Titans game will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 2, 2023 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The game will be streamed exclusively on Prime Video, Amazon Prime’s streaming platform. The game will not be broadcast on national television.
The Prime Video stream will feature Al Michaels as the play-by-play announcer, Kirk Herbstreit as the analyst and Kaylee Hartung as the sideline reporter. Prime Video will also offer alternate audio options, such as a Spanish-language broadcast and a Scout’s Feed with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
To watch the game on Prime Video, you will need an Amazon Prime membership, which costs $119 per year or $12.99 per month. You can also sign up for a 30-day free trial if you are a new user. You can watch Prime Video on various devices, such as smart TVs, laptops, tablets, smartphones and gaming consoles.
