After throwing for four touchdowns in his NFL debut, Tennessee Titans QB Will Levis is expected to start on Thursday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.
Ryan Tannehill is still recovering from an ankle sprain and likely won’t be ready for Thursday, but Levis is more than deserving of another start after leading the Titans to a 28-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Levis threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns, three of which were to WR DeAndre Hopkins. Levis showcased his arm talent on the touchdowns, with all of them being 10-plus yards. Levis threw touchdowns of 16, 33, 47 and 61 yards on Sunday.
A second-round pick out of Kentucky, the Titans traded up to acquire Levis after he slipped out of the first round. He earned the start against Atlanta over QB Malik Willis, a second-year man out of Liberty who replaced Tannehill after he went down against the Baltimore Ravens in Week Six.
The Levis-Hopkins connection looks dangerous, and Pittsburgh is going to have to be ready for the young quarterback on a short week. Hopkins had four grabs for 128 yards against the Falcons, and it was his second game this season with over 100 receiving yards. The Steelers have been prone to allowing big games to opposing receivers, and Hopkins has 10 receptions for 173 yards against Pittsburgh in two games against the team.
The Steelers struggled mightily the first time they faced a rookie signal-caller this season, as Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns in a Week Four win against Pittsburgh. The Steelers will look to avoid a repeat of that when they take on the Titans, a game where they may be playing with backup QB Mitch Trubisky with Kenny Pickett’s status in question because of a rib injury. The status of FS Minkah Fitzpatrick, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Jaguars, is also murky.
It’s a big game for the Steelers, who will look to avoid falling to .500 with a loss. We’ll see if they can kill some of Tennessee and Levis’ momentum and get back on track with a win on Thursday.
