The Pittsburgh Steelers are at home tonight on Thursday Night Football against the Tennesee Titans. The Titans are coming off of an exciting win against the Atlanta Falcons in which their rookie second round quarterback Will Levis exploded onto the scene with four touchdown passes. They currently sit at a record of 3-4 while the Steelers are 4-3.
Kenny Pickett, despite being injured on Sunday with a rib issue, is playing in this game and the Steelers will also enjoy the return of DL Cameron Heyward back into the lineup. He has been gone since Week One with a groin injury. He will be helpful against one of the top running backs in the league in Derrick Henry. RB/KR Anthony McFarland Jr. remains on IR and now has just a few days before he could be shut down for the season.
The Steelers will be without S Minkah Fitzpatrick in this game, but he was not added to the reserve/injured list on Thursday which is a good sign for the severity of his hamstring injury.
If you have not joined us on Steelers Depot for a game thread in the past, thank you for checking us out! I will be curating interesting tweets, live updates, and video highlights throughout the game, so refresh your page to see all of that. Also, check out the comment section at the bottom of the page where fans gather every week to discuss the game in real-time.
Steelers’ Inactive:
QB Mason Rudolph (3rd)*
S Minkah Fitzpatrick
OT Dylan Cook
DT Breiden Fehoko
DL Armon Watts
Titans’ Inactive:
T Christopher Hubbard
CB Roger McCreary
QB Ryan Tannehill
DL Jaleel Johnson
WR Colton Dowell
LB Caleb Murphy
The Steelers won the coin toss and have elected to receive. Kenny Pickett and the offense will take the field first.
START OF GAME
The opening kickoff was returned by Godwin Igwebuike out to the 22 yard line. On 1st and 10, Najee Harris took the ball four yards up the middle. On 2nd, Pickett under pressure and the ball was knocked down at the line of scrimmage. 3rd and 6, Pickett complete to Allen Robinson over the middle for 10 yards.
1st and 10, Pickett hit Jaylen Warren on a swing route for 9 yards. 2nd and 1, Warren for 7 yards. Broderick Jones pulled from the right tackle position to lay a key block.
On 1st and 10, Connor Heyward caught the ball short and ran 10 yards for another first down.
1st and 10, Pickett threw the ball away under pressure. Broderick Jones was called for illegal man down field, so 1st and 15. Pickett dropped back and overthrew Diontae Johnson. 2nd and 15, Pickett escaped a sack and found Johnson for 13 yards. 3rd and 2, Pickett found Johnson for another 19 yards.
1st and goal, Najee Harris in the backfield rushed up the middle for 10 yards and a touchdown! 7-0 Steelers.
What a start for this offense!
The kickoff was returned by Tyjae Spears to the 27, but a flag brought them back deep in their own end. The Steelers defense have a huge opportunity against the rookie making his second start.
1st and 10, Derrick Henry was dropped after just a gain of one. Cameron Heyward was in on the tackle. 2nd and 9, TJ Watt got a quarterback hit in on Levis, but they called him for roughing the passer. That was a questionable call, especially given last week’s events.
1st and 10, Henry up the middle for 6. 2nd and 6, Patrick Peterson called for illegal contact, so another first down via penalty. The opportunity to have the Titans pinned deep has quickly gone to waste.
1st and 10, Levis was hit and threw as a result. Alex Highsmith with the QB hit. Highsmith might have been dinged up a bit on the play. 2nd and 10, Henry up the middle for 2 yards. 3rd and 8, Levis found Spears who lunged forward to gain 8. On 4th and 1, they direct snapped to Henry and a Cole Holcomb lost his footing to break contain.
1st and 10, Spears around the right end against Joey Porter Jr. one-on-one. Porter called for face mask penalty. The penalties are really piling up.
Three penalties later, the Titans are 1st and 10 from the 22. Levis rolled out to the right and threw all the way across the field back to Derrick Henry for a loss of one. 2nd and 11, another direct snap to Henry who handed it off to Spears up the middle for 3 yards. 3rd and 8, Levis was sacked by Alex Highsmith, but a flag on the play. Porter jumped into the neutral zone which was declined, but he got called for illegal hands to the face for another first down.
Tomlin took Porter out of the game. A trick play and DeAndre Hopkins couldn’t find anyone open downfield he scrambled for 5 yards. 2nd and 5 from the 10 yard line, Levis incomplete with TJ Watt’s pressure. 3rd and 5, and Levis span into TJ Watt’s sack. The offense was called for illegal hands to the face which was declined, the sack stands. The field goal was good. 7-3 Steelers.
The Steelers defense, despite four free first downs against them, held strong and held their lead after a 13-play drive.
On 1st and 10, Warren up the middle for 2. On 2nd, Pickett rolled out and tried to thread one in to Connor Heyward in the flat, but Heyward wasn’t ready and it fell incomplete. 3rd and 8, Pickett too high to Pickens. Bad miss by Pickett. Pressley Harvin III’s punt went 54 yards and was returned -1 with a great tackle by Miles Boykin.
1st and 10, TJ Watt was held by Petit-Frere who injured himself on the play. Watt could have an easy matchup the rest of this game. 1st and 19, another holding call trying to contain Watt again. 1st and 23, Levis found Hopkins up the middle of the field for 29 yards. Cole Holcomb was hurt on the play, down holding his knee. The cart is coming out for him, the knee looked pretty loose at first look.
1st and 10, false start on the offense. This is not the kind of football anybody wants to watch. That makes 9 penalties in the first quarter which is a record for this season in a single quarter. 1st and 15, Levis found Philips in the middle of the field for 11 yards.
END OF 1ST QUARTER: 7-3 STEELERS
2nd and 4, Highsmith sacked Levis. 3rd and 8, Porter in great coverage on Hopkins on the deep shot and it went incomplete. The punt was returned to the 17 by Calvin Austin III.
On 1st and 10, Harris for 2 yards. On 2nd, incomplete to Pickens. 3rd and 8, slightly underthrown and the pass was broken up deep to Austin III.
The punt was returned to the 28 yard line.
1st and 10, Levis complete to Hopkins along the left sideline. He span away from some tackles and gained 17.
1st and 10, Henry up the middle for 4 yards. Brunskill injured for the Titans, but Petit-Frere is back in. Markus Golden sacked Levis. Brunskill back in the game. 3rd and 13, Westbrook-Ikhine wide open for 23 yards and a first down. Peter Skoronski down injured now.
1st and 10, Henry toss sweep for about 3. 2nd and 7, Henry up the middle for 4. On 3rd, a quick pass to the left to Hopkins to convert.
1st and 10 from just outside the red zone, Henry up the middle for 15.
1st and goal from the 9, Henry tackled inside the 5. 2nd and goal from the 4, Levis scrambled for a couple. 3rd and goal from the 2, Henry stopped short, but lunged with the ball to score. 10-7 Titans.
The pressure is back on the offense. They got their first quick start, but have since sputtered and allowed 10 unanswered.
Igwebuike returned the kickoff to the 24. 1st and 10, Harris gained about 9 up the middle. 2nd and 1, Najee gained 2 and converted a fresh set of downs.
1st and 10, Pickett to Johnson who weaved through traffic for 8 yards. 2nd and 2, back to Johnson on a similar play on the other end of the field. He gained 6 to convert another first.
1st and 10, Pickett threw the ball away at Heyward’s feet. Personal foul, roughing the passer on the Titans. The Steelers now on the 36.
1st and 10, Warren up the middle for 15. Back to Warren on the next play around the left end for another 14.
1st and goal from the 7, Harris swallowed up in the backfield for a loss of 1.
TWO MINUTE WARNING
2nd and goal, Pickett to Pickens, but he gained just 2. Too many men in the huddle. 3rd and goal from the 11, Robinson in motion, Pickett passed to Robinson, but it bounced off the ground. Field goal unit on the field. The field goal was good. 10-10 Even.
Pickett has got to give his receiver a chance there. Another bad end zone miss in back-to-back weeks.
The kickoff resulted in a touchback. 1st and 10, Porter Jr. wrapped up Spears for a gain of 2. In the middle of the field, Levis to Hopkins for 9 yards. Timeout #1 for the Titans.
Levis to Philips for 25 yards. Patrick Peterson was at safety and was late to close in on the pass. Timeout #2 called. 1st and 10, another deep completion to Philips for 21 and out of bounds. The Titans have a real shot at getting in the end zone here. Unacceptable end of the half for this secondary.
1st and 10, incomplete to DeAndre Hopkins in the end zone. 2nd and 10, deep incompletion overthrown to Spears. 3rd and 10, Spears up the middle for just 1. Timeout #3. The field goal was good. 13-10 Titans.
END OF 1ST HALF: 13-10 TITANS
Join us for the second half here:
