The 2023 NFL season is at the halfway point, which means teams will have to make a big push during the second half of the season to clinch a playoff spot. On Thursday night, the Tennesse Titans will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they are two teams who are in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Week 9 of Thursday Night Football will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Pregame coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET.
The Titans (3-4) have had a rough start to the season but a coming off a big home win against the Atlanta Falcons. And the Titans may have found their quarterback of the future as Will Levis took over for an injured Ryan Tannehill and threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns in the win on Sunday. Levis will play in the game against the Steelers and knows they present a different challenge.
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“Playing or not, I’ve had this game circled on the schedule because of how great the environment is going to be,” Levis said, per the Titans’ official website. “I know their fans are going to come out and it’s going to be a nice environment. So, we are ready to handle it. I am looking forward to taking it all in and then just doing my thing.”
The Steelers (4-3) are coming off a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars but are just one game behind the Baltimore Ravens for the lead in the AFC North. Quarterback Kenny Pickett left the Jaguars game with a rib injury but will likely play on Thursday night despite the short week.
“The medical experts and their opinions prevail, and then we go on effectiveness in terms of his ability to do his job,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters this week, per the team’s official website. “Obviously he got clearance from the medical experts rather quickly in terms of him potentially being available, and so it was about whether he could do the things they said he needed to do, first to protect himself and play, and then be effective enough in doing so. We felt comfortable with what we saw Wednesday at practice. We had a Friday-like practice on Wednesday where we hit all of our situational football – third down, red zone, things of that nature, weighty down moments. He had a really good day, and so we feel comfortable with his availability and his ability to do his thing.”
