Titans lose to Steelers in TNF thanks to Diontae Johnson's first touchdown since the 2021 season.
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On "Thursday Night Football," the Pittsburgh
Steelers defeated the Titans 20-16 thanks to a touchdown by wide receiver
Diontae Johnson in the fourth quarter. This
is what you should be aware of:
Johnson's first touchdown since the 2021 campaign came as he hauled in a 3-yard ball from
quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Running backs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris had excellent games as the Steelers ran for 166 yards. Week 4 of the previous season had a team best of 114.
With a knee injury in the first quarter, Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb had to be taken off the field.
Linebacker Cole Holcomb of the Steelers was taken off the field in the first quarter due to a knee injury, while Treylon Burks of the Titans was carted off late in the fourth
quarter when it appeared he struck his head on the ground while attempting to
make a grab.
Will Levis, a rookie quarterback for the Titans who scored four touchdowns in his Week 8
debut, concluded Thursday's play with 262 yards and one interception.
How Johnson got his rainy spell over Johnson's last
touchdown against the Cleveland Browns on January 3, 2022, had been 655 days
(668 if one counts only regular-season games). For a former Pro Bowl receiver
and outstanding route runner, those stats nearly defy reasoning.
Who, without scoring a touchdown, caught 86 receptions in the previous season, setting a
record, if you can call it that."I mean, really?" declared Johnson.
"How much time has passed?"
On "Thursday Night Football," in front of a nationwide audience, Johnson chose the
perfect moment to break out of his slump by escaping through a rub route and
scoring the winning touchdown.Johnson chuckled and admitted, "I honestly had
no idea what I was going to do when I scored." "I just wanted to
express my love because everyone worked so
The shift by Canada to the sidelines ignites
For the first time in his more than two years as offensive coordinator, Matt Canada spent Thursday
night with quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan, QBs Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky,
and Mason Rudolph, and not in the booth. A previously unimpressive offensive
produced one of its finest games of the year, so it appears the adjustment was
helpful.
The Steelers' well-balanced 10-play, 78-yard drive against Carolina on December 18, 2022
resulted in their first opening-drive touchdown, but it may have been a
coincidence.
Over the last 42 games (including playoffs), dating back to Nov. 14, 2021 at Detroit, it was
only their third opening-drive touchdown. Despite scoring 20 points and 326
yards overall, the offense still stumbled occasionally, but overall it was more
cohesive and purposeful. Though Mike Tomlin, the man who initiated the
adjustment earlier this week, wouldn't be crazy to stick with the same
configuration going forward, it would be foolish to do otherwise.The Titans and
Levis still have a promising future.
Regardless of how this game turned out, it was going to be another positive night for the Titans'
future since No. 8 still appears to be the team of the future.
Levis, that is your new No. 8 jersey. However, it serves as a helpful reminder that Marcus Mariota,
the quarterback who wore that number before him, was on track after two seasons
and never improved. However, Titans supporters should be thrilled with Levis
after his first two NFL games.Following his four-touchdown debut in a victory
against Atlanta, he traveled to Pittsburgh on a short week and, despite a
persistent rush, displayed composure and accuracy the whole game. And behind a
lineup that had four starters injured at various points in time. In the end,
Levis was unable to complete it. Burks hit an out-of-bounds pass, causing him
to stumble badly and be carted out, but he missed his deep shot to Burks on a
fourth-and-four.