The Pittsburgh Steelers have not particularly fared well statistically against the pass this season. They have given up over 200 net passing yards every week, as a minimum, even if they have only given up over 300 yards one time. It was enough to rank just 25th entering the week, however, and they ranked 28th in defensive receiving touchdowns allowed even after having had a bye week.
The quarterback didn’t seem to matter—pretty much everybody had success of some kind, young players and more experienced. But the Steelers may have their youngest gun yet on deck in Tennessee Titans rookie QB Will Levis.
The 33rd-overall draft pick made his first NFL start yesterday in a win over the Atlanta Falcons in which he tied an NFL record for the most passing touchdowns in a rookie debut with four. That included three touchdowns to WR DeAndre Hopkins. Coincidentally, Levis tied the record of another Titans quarterback. Marcus Mariota is the only other player to debut with four touchdown passes, which he accomplished in 2015.
Completing 19-of-29 pass attempts, Levis threw for 238 yards and did not turn the football over, connecting on three explosive-play touchdowns. That included a 61-yard shot to Hopkins in the third quarter, one of four receptions for the future Hall of Famer on the day for 128 yards.
Starter Ryan Tannehill is currently dealing with an ankle injury, which kept him out of Sunday’s game against the Falcons. With a short turnaround for a Thursday game, it would be a challenge for him to make it back in time.
And even if he were close to 100 percent, the Titans may not decide to go back to him after watching Levis. They drafted him for a reason, trading up in the second around to get him, and there may be no turning back now.
“This is a dream come true for sure”, he told reporters, according to Turron Davenport of ESPN. “I dreamed of this moment as a kid and to get a win is incredible. But we have a few more minutes to celebrate it today, then we’re on to Pittsburgh as [Coach Mike] Vrabel would say”.
He got his first touchdown and his first win on the same day. Then he got three more touchdowns. Can he also get multiple wins in the same week? In two different uniforms? Because his NFL debut came with the Titans wearing Houston Oilers throwbacks.
While Tennessee may be getting an up-close look at its future under center, the Steelers may be without theirs—if they have one. Second-year QB Kenny Pickett exited Sunday’s game shortly before halftime with a rib injury and did not return. It is not known if the injury is serious enough to keep him from playing on Thursday, but the short turnaround will make it much more difficult.
