A short week is a tough experience when the team is in a frustrating position, but that's how the schedule fell for the Pittsburgh Steelers this week in a Thursday matchup with the Tennessee Titans. As the Steelers continue to take steps forward and a few backward, Thursday night was set to be a crucial one.
The Steelers' offense came out as hot as we've seen it in 2023, scoring on its first offensive drive. The rushing attack benefited greatly from the insertion of Broderick Jones at right tackle and was the penultimate play with Najee Harris's 10-yard touchdown. Of course, the Steelers' offense can't consistently put everything together in a single week, as Kenny Pickett struggled with accuracy on routine throws. Whether his injured ribs play into that is up for debate.
Historically, the Pittsburgh Steelers are dominant against rookie quarterbacks, but for the second time this year harking back to CJ Stroud, the opposing offense catered to its young signal caller and reaped the benefits. Will Levis looked comfortable in his second start, though TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith certainly applied ample pressure. The backend of the defense clearly missed Minkah Fitzpatrick though.
Nonetheless, the Steelers were able to keep Levis out of the endzone and bookended their offensive drives with touchdowns to take the victory.
The Steelers should feel some momentum off this win, with the Green Bay Packers on deck next week. While things have improved in some areas to provide some good, the bad and ugly are persistent problems that also need improvement, and fast as the halfway point of the season hits.