Thursday Night Football: Steelers improve to 5-3 with 20-16 victory over Titans
Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson hadn’t made it to the end zone since Week 17 of the 2021 season when he caught a 5-yard touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger.
At long last, Johnson made it back to help Pittsburgh win Thursday night’s game over Tennessee.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett connected with Johnson on a go-ahead 3-yard touchdown with 4:02 left in the fourth quarter as the Steelers defeated the Titans 20-16 to begin Week 9.
Johnson’s score capped an 11-play, 92-yard drive that featured a pair of third-down conversions. A defensive penalty gave Pittsburgh first-and-goal at the 3-yard line when it was previously second-and-goal from the 6. That’s when Johnson made his first touchdown catch in over a season.
Johnson finished the game with seven catches for 90 yards, leading the team in both categories.
It was another fourth-quarter comeback by quarterback Kenny Pickett, who now has three of them this season and six in his young career. He ended the game 19-of-30 for 160 yards with a TD.
Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis was solid in his second start, though he and Tennessee’s offense could only find the end zone once. The visitors had a late shot to win the game, aided by a defensive penalty on fourth down that extended the Titans’ drive.
But with 11 seconds left, Levis’ pass to the middle of the end zone was intercepted by linebacker Kwon Alexander to effectively end the game.
Levis finished 22-of-39 for 262 yards with the one interception — the game’s only turnover. Running back Derrick Henry had 17 carries for 75 yards with a touchdown. Receiver DeAndre Hopkins had four catches on 11 targets for 60 yards.
Titans receiver Treylon Burks was carted off the field after an incomplete pass on fourth down with 2:13 left in the contest. Burks was placed on a backboard with Prime Video reporting Burks had full movement in his extremities.
Defensively, Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt had a sack, two quarterback hits, and a tackle for loss. But Alex Highsmith was a menace in Tennessee’s backfield all night, recording 2.0 sacks, two tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits.
Now at 5-3, the Steelers will host the Packers in Week 10.
The 3-5 Titans will again be on the road in Week 10 to face the Buccaneers.
