Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 9

Previewing this week's Thursday Night Football from a fantasy and sports betting perspective

Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 9 Last week’s game was better than advertised, as the Bucs hung with the Bills. However, the Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 9 offers up a pair of underperforming offenses that will be hard-pressed to […]

Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 9

Last week's game was better than advertised, as the Bucs hung with the Bills. However, the Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 9 offers up a pair of underperforming offenses that will be hard-pressed to be as entertaining.
Of course, that doesn't mean this game has no headlines. Will Levis gets his first road start after an historic NFL debut. But, the Titans face a tough task traveling on short rest to take on the Steelers.
As for the Steelers, they face their own quarterback questions with Kenny Pickett's health.
Both offenses have struggled in 2023, so we have an unusually low total of 36.5 points.
The Steelers are favored by just 2.5 points. That line tells us that Vegas thinks the Titans are the better team on a neutral field. But, are they?
Matchup 
TEAM OFFENSE PASS RUSH YDS/PLAY POINTS
Tennessee Titans 27 30 13 14 23
Pittsburgh Steelers 32 25 28 27 29

It has been a struggle for the Titans and Steelers to score points all season. Pittsburgh enters Week 9 with the league's worst offense. The Steelers also rank last in the league with a 26.3% first-down rate and enter this game with only six touchdown passes in eight games.
Meanwhile, the Titans have the fewest pass attempts in football. Only the Jets and Browns have fewer passing yards than Tennessee's 1,442. Tennessee is an old-school offense that churns out rushing yards, controls the clock, and is a top-5 unit in converting fourth downs.
Also, Tennessee has the edge defensively. The Titans boast the NFL's 13th-ranked stop unit. They rank 13th against the run and in points allowed. Plus, the Titans are top-10 in sack rate.
Pittsburgh's defense had dropped off. The Steelers have the fifth-worst run defense through eight weeks. That's a mismatch against a Titans offense that wants to run the ball 30-plus times.
This game opened with the Steelers favored by 3.5 and a total of 37.5. However, both of those numbers have dipped by one point.
Tennessee Titans Offense 

Will Levis made headlines in his first NFL start, throwing for 238 yards and 4 touchdowns. Levis made some excellent throws. However, he also was lucky and the Falcons
How will Thursday's Titans vs. Steelers game go?

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About Jody Smith 485 Articles
With over a decade of winning experience, Jody is a well-known fixture in the fantasy football community. He was named Fantasy Pros’ **Most Accurate Ranker** previously and was the site’s Top NFL over/under totals picker with a record 65% accuracy in 2020, while also ranking 5th in the country with a 55% against-the-spread hit rate. Jody has written for many sites over the years including Pro Football Focus, FantasyPros, CBS Sportsline, FantasyData, and is a regular contributor to the Fantasy Index magazine expert’s poll, draft, and auction. Jody’s experience ranking and projecting player performance will help prepare the Fulltime Fam for their big draft days as well as answers they can trust on Sunday for those ever crucial Who Do I Start questions.