The Tennessee Titans have a massive game later tonight when they head into a hostile environment to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
Following their Week 8 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh enters the day with a 4-3 record and in a three-way tie for second place in their division, although the Steelers currently hold the tiebreakers over the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
After sitting in fourth place in the AFC South going into Week 8, the Titans find themselves in third place after beating the Atlanta Falcons. Tennessee has the potential to jump into second place if the team can leave Pittsburgh with a 4-4 record.
But that won’t be easy, as the Titans have yet to win a game away from Nissan Stadium this season and haven’t beaten the Steelers since 2013.
There are a ton of matchups in this contest that will play a huge role in deciding the outcome. Here are the most important ones to keep an eye on.
Titans QB Will Levis vs. Steelers' secondary
One thing that everyone keeps talking about is how differently opposing teams will defend Will Levis now that they have film on him. This is a valid concern because defenses will undoubtedly try to take some of those deep shots away going forward.
On the contrary, what often gets overlooked is how having that film out can also be used to his advantage when it comes to manipulating the defense.
If done right, Tennessee will be able to setup their deep shots by baiting the Steelers to start defending the underneath attack that will likely be there early in the game. Once the Steelers adjust and start to take that away instead, the Titans will potentially be able to take their calculated risks over the top.
Pittsburgh could be vulnerable in that area, since star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has been ruled out for Thursday’s contest.
The Steelers currently own the 24th-ranked pass defense, allowing an average of 245.4 yards per game through the air. That’s hardly considered a stingy unit, although rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is someone the Titans must identify on every play.
Joey Porter Jr this season:
– 0 TDs allowed
– 1 INT
– 4 forced incompletions
– 9.8 passer rating allowed pic.twitter.com/uRz0K3I9mB— PFF (@PFF) November 1, 2023
The Penn State product has been dominant along the boundary. Levis must only pick on him if an opening is there for the taking because he’s hardly the person you want to attack.
With that said, if/when he’s matched up with DeAndre Hopkins, the Titans have to find a way to get Nuk the ball regardless. Levis just has to make sure that he’s calculated with those shots and not reckless.
Titans' RBs vs. Steelers’ defensive line
If the Steelers are going to be fully committed to taking away Levis’ deep shots, it could lead to a big day on the ground for the Titans. Pittsburgh will have to decide whether to put the extra safety in the box or in coverage.
If Pittsburgh does, in fact, prioritize defending the deep ball, Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears will have more room to run and plenty of chances to pick up chunks of yardage on the ground throughout the entire game.
.@KingHenry_2 shining bright for #Titans. pic.twitter.com/LjfuAOk7re
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 1, 2023
That would then open up the play-action attack, which will fully unlock the entire offense. At that point, the Steelers’ defense will be put in a bind with not only defending both aspects of the Titans’ offense, but with having to correctly identify whether it’s a run or pass in live action.
The Steelers being late with their IDs or guessing wrong could lead to a massive opening on any given down.
For that to happen, the Titans’ running game has to set the tone and make its presence felt early and often against a Pittsburgh run defense that is allowing an average of 137.1 yards per game (27th).
The Steelers are getting a massive reinforcement back in the form of Cameron Heyward, though, so that should help their struggling run defense.
Titans' OTs vs. Steelers' OLBs
This honestly could be the matchup that decides today’s game more than any other.
If left tackle Andre Dillard and right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere can hold their own against one of the best edge duos in the league, Tennessee will have a chance to leave Pittsburgh with a win.
On the flip side, if T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith make their presence felt throughout the game, it’s going to diminish the Titans’ chances a ton.
Watt is currently tied for the third-most amount of sacks on the year with 8.5, while also having the fourth-highest overall grade amongst all edge rushers (91.3), per Pro Football Focus.
You don’t get that high of a grade unless you’re legitimately dominating in nearly every facet of your respective position.
The Wisconsin product has high marks across the board, ranking in the top six at his position in pass-rush grade (89.9), run-defense grade (80.3), and coverage grade (79.6).
On the other side of the formation, Highsmith has an impressive overall grade of his own, earning an 86.0 after he’s tallied 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 13 pressures on the year.
Meanwhile, Dillard and NPF have a combined average grade of 48.95 and have allowed a combined total of nine sacks between the two of them.
Dillard was recently benched before being thrown back into the lineup at left tackle after a concussion to right tackle Chris Hubbard forced NPF to the right side.
The two of them held their own last Sunday, but what awaits them later on tonight is an entirely different animal. On paper, this is about as lopsided a matchup as you can get. Thankfully, the game isn’t played on paper.
Titans’ pass rush vs. Steelers’ offensive line
The Titans are coming off a game in which they got to the quarterback six times. This week, Tennessee faces a Steelers offense that is allowing an average of 2.7 sacks per game.
The average overall grade between the Steelers’ starting offensive linemen is 54.78. This is just one of the many reasons why the Steelers enter tonight’s game with the 30th-ranked offense (271.7 YPG) and the 25th-ranked passing offense (192.0).
Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry, Denico Autry and Arden Key have to make their presence felt early and often to make Kenny Pickett uncomfortable, otherwise he could pick apart a suspect Titans secondary.
