Next opponent: Steelers to get an early taste of Will Levis era

The Steelers are coming off a painful loss to the Jaguars, and don't have much time to lick their wounds. The Titans are coming to town on a short week for Thursday Night Football, and will be looking to capitalize on a win.

Here's a breakdown of what the Titans bring into Week 8:

TENNESSEE TITANS

Record: 3-4
Standing: Third, AFC South
Last result: Won over Falcons, 28-23

THE TREND

The Titans are coming off a disappointing 7-10 season, missing out on a potential AFC South title thanks to a seven-game losing streak to end their 2022 campaign. Tennessee spent their offseason fortifying weak spots on their roster, and even drafted a potential franchise quarterback in Will Levis.

Thus far, 2023 has been about as up-and-down as possible. The Titans have losses to the Saints, Browns, Colts and Ravens, but victories over the Chargers, Bengals and Falcons. They've also won every game at home and lost every game on the road (the loss to the Ravens was technically a home game, but played in London).

With a 3-4 start and seemingly little hope of a playoff spot in a loaded AFC, there have been rumors swirling around trading star running back Derrick Henry. However, the Titans did not pull the trigger on any deal by Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline.

Perhaps the promise of Levis' first NFL start ignited some hope for the Titans. In the five-point victory over the Falcons, Levis threw for four touchdown passes. However, that's not enough to convince Vegas of anything too significant as the Titans enter Thursday night's game as 3-point underdogs.

THE QUARTERBACK

Ryan Tannehill had been the Titans' starting quarterback for the first six games of the season. Needless to say, things weren't going well. The team went 2-4, and Tannehill posted a 71.9 passer rating and threw for two touchdowns and six interceptions in those games. After sustaining an ankle injury, head coach Mike Vrabel started Levis last week. 

And, Levis turned in quite the performance in his first NFL start:

With Tannehill still nursing his ankle injury, Levis will be the guy again on Thursday night. Regardless of any concerns coming out of the Combine or the Draft, Levis showed quite a bit in his NFL debut. Over time, Levis will experience growing pains. All rookies do. Issues with pocket presence and footwork will creep up. But, when a guy steps in and goes 18 for 28 for 234 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in his debut -- regardless of the opponent -- you have to take notice.

One game is a horribly small sample size. But, there is a simple solution for defending him that played out as expected in his eye-popping performance: Put him under pressure. Levis completed 14 of 17 passes for 192 yards when he was kept clean, but completed only 4 of 11 passes for 42 yards when under pressure.

The Steelers have the front capable of getting to the quarterback. If they can do that Thursday night, it gives them a huge advantage in slowing Levis down and/or creating splash plays. Remember, the Steelers' defense lives and dies by splash plays.

THE OFFENSE

There's no preparing for the Titans' offense without serious dedication to slowing Henry down. It's no secret that the Titans' offense goes as far as Henry and the running game can take them.

Henry is having a season that you'd expect through the first seven games of the year. He's got 526 yards and three touchdowns on 120 carries, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. But, the addition of third-round rookie Tyjae Spears gives the Titans a dangerous change of pace:

As a complement to Henry, Spears has 198 rushing yards on 34 carries (5.8 yards per carry), but has also caught 18 passes for 120 yards. These two will give the Steelers' front seven plenty to worry about.

However, there's a guy named DeAndre Hopkins at receiver that can't be ignored. The Steelers have let individual receivers have big games all season, including Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. And, with Levis at quarterback, Hopkins could be more dangerous than he ever was with Tannehill under center.

In the one game with Levis, Hopkins caught four passes for 128 yards and the only three touchdowns he has all season. So, just because the Titans have the 29th-ranked passing offense in the NFL, it doesn't mean they can't test the Steelers' secondary this week, especially with Minkah Fitzpatrick out. Hopkins is dealing with a toe injury that has his status in question. But, if he plays, the Steelers have to respect the Titans' ability to hit on throws downfield.

THE DEFENSE

The Titans' defense doesn't wow you with a bunch of big names. They're not very strong in pass defense, but the front has been quite solid, especially for a 3-4 team. And, one journeyman linebacker might be a big difference-maker.

Since being selected in the third round of the 2018 draft, Arden Key has spent time with the Raiders, 49ers and Jaguars before landing with the Titans this season. Despite starting only two of seven games played thus far, Key has 2.5 sacks and has really had a great overall impact on the Titans' pass rush:

NFL NEXT GEN STATS

Tennessee's pass rush is also coming off a big week, as they pulverized Desmond Ridder and the Falcons' offensive line with six sacks, five in the first half:

The Titans are also pretty good against the run, allowing an average of 107.4 yards per game (16th in the NFL). However, the secondary is susceptible to big plays. Not only do they rank 20th in pass defense, they're giving up 7.9 yards per pass attempt. Only two teams are giving up a higher clip than that. And, they don't take the ball away. The Titans have only six takeaways this season, which is tied with the Packers, Rams and Panthers for the fewest in the NFL.

This defense, however, does clamp down on things in the red zone. Opponents have scored touchdowns on only nine of 26 trips against this defense, a percentage of only 34.6%. That's second to only the Buccaneers in the NFL.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Veteran Nick Folk handles the placekicking duties, and he's a perfect 16 for 16 this season. Ryan Stonehouse is the punter, and he's got a big leg. Not only does he have a long of 74 yards, he's averaging 51.8 yards per punt. He can flip the field at any moment. 

THE INJURY REPORT

• Ryan Tannehill, QB (ankle) -- Tannehill sustained a high-ankle sprain in the Titans' Week 6 loss to the Ravens, and he'll now sit for the second straight game. Levis will start in his stead once again.

• Derrick Henry, RB (ankle) -- Henry is dealing with an ankle issue, and was listed as a limited participant in the first two days of this week. However, he was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, and does not carry an injury designation into Thursday night. He's good to go.

• Tyjae Spears, RB (ankle) -- Like Henry, Spears is dealing with an ankle issue, but was upgraded to a full participant on Tuesday and Wednesday after being limited the day before. He's good to go for Thursday night.

• DeAndre Hopkins, WR (toe) -- This is the second health concern of the season for Hopkins, as he dealt with an ankle issue during Week 2-4. He was listed as a limited participant on Monday and Tuesday, and did not practice on Wednesday. He's officially questionable for Thursday night. From the Titans' perspective, there is plenty of cause for concern with him missing the final practice on a short week.

• Chris Hubbard, OT (concussion) -- Hubbard sustained a concussion in the Titans' win over the Falcons, making it very difficult to return on a short week. He didn't practice all week and was ruled out on Wednesday. Nicholas Petit-Frere stepped in for Hubbard at right tackle last week.

• Anthony Kendall, CB (knee) -- Kendall is working through a knee issue, but went from being a "DNP" on Monday to a full participant on Tuesday and Wednesday. He's cleared to play. He's a depth option at cornerback whenever the Titans are at full strength.

• Chris Moore, WR (personal) -- Moore's been listed as a "DNP" for the first two days of the week while tending to a personal issue. However, he returned to practice on Wednesday as a full participant and will play Thursday night. Moore is fourth among Titans receivers in targets.

• Jeffery Simmons, DT (ankle) -- Simmons had a big performance in Week 8, recording a pair of sacks and a season-high six tackles. He apparently suffered an ankle injury during the game, and has been designated as a limited participant all week. Yet, he's been cleared to play with no injury designation.

• Roger McCreary, CB (hamstring) -- McCreary missed his first game of the season in Week 8, and was limited all week. Turns out that he didn't do quite enough to be cleared as he's been ruled out. He's one of the Titans' three starting cornerbacks, so his absence provides Tre Avery and Kendall an uptick in work in the Titans' secondary.

• Mike Brown, S (ankle) -- The Titans designated Brown for return from IR on Monday, opening a potential window for him to return Thursday night. He's been listed as a full participant all week, but was still ruled out for Thursday night. He won't play.

• Sean Murphy-Bunting, CB (thumb) -- Murphy-Bunting is on the Titans' injury report with a thumb injury, but has been listed as a full participant every day in this short week and is cleared to play. He's one of the Titans' starters at cornerback.

• Josh Whyle, TE (concussion) -- Whyle sustained a concussion in Week 6 and wasn't able to return for Week 8 despite the bye. The rookie tight end saw his snap count on offense steadily increase in Weeks 4 and 5, and he'd resume his role as the backup behind Chigoziem Okonkwo if he's able to return for Thursday's game. Vrabel indicated Whyle had a chance to return, and has cleared the concussion protocol and will play Thursday night.

QUOTABLE

"Playing or not, I've had this game circled on the schedule just because of how great the environment is going to be. I know the fans are going to come out, it's going to be a nice environment. We're ready to handle it. I'm looking forward to taking it all in and doing my thing." -- Will Levis on playing the Steelers in Pittsburgh

"I think guys are excited to play on Thursday. It's a great environment in Pittsburgh. It's always great playing there. The crowd's always into it. It's going to be a great atmosphere. We're just focusing on locking in our details right now to finish up the week. We know we haven't won on the road. We've gotta focus better on Thursday so we can come out with a win." -- Derrick Henry on playing the Steelers in Pittsburgh on a short week

"I think that's all about the players and just making sure that they're ready physically. Today's Thursday, that's how we have to approach this, that today is Thursday. They're not going to like to hear that but, we're going to have to put ourselves into the mindset that today's Thursday and we play on Sunday night. That's how we have to approach it. But physically, we ask a lot of the players during the game. They play hard and it's a violent sport. We'll have to just get them back the best that we can." -- Mike Vrabel on the challenge of playing Thursday nights