Tennessee Titans grades: Will Levis solid, but run defense cause for concern

PITTSBURGH — The Tennessee Titans couldn’t recapture the magic four days later.

The Titans fell to 3-5 with a 20-16 loss Thursday to the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Titans had two cracks at scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final five minutes but weren’t able to convert on either possession, going four-and-out on the first try and struggling to peek out of the shadow of their own goal post on the other.

Here are The Tennessean’s grades for Thursday’s game.

Offense: B-

Will Levis’ second game as a starter lacked the big-play theatrics of his four-touchdown debut, but he adapted and played the style the Titans needed in a slower-paced game. Running backs Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears controlled the pace. The offensive line struggled at times, especially as injured players shuttled in and out. A few more explosives plays would’ve been nice, but the lesser of two games in the Levis era was still better than a number of games with Ryan Tannehill behind center.

More: Tennessee Titans should start Will Levis at QB going forward, Andrew Whitworth says on ‘TNF’ postgame

Defense: C-

Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t been anything special all year, but the Titans allowed lengthy drives and were gashed in the running game. Give the unit credit for holding steady in the red zone a couple of times, though to be fair, one of the Steelers’ red zone field goals came because receiver George Pickens couldn’t drag his back foot on a should-be touchdown.

It might be time to have some serious questions about what has happened to the Titans’ run defense, and the inability to create turnovers is still concerning. The secondary held its own without cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who left with a thumb injury, but still didn’t do enough.

Special teams: A-

Kicker Nick Folk improved to 19-for-19 on field goals to start his Titans’ tenure, and punter Ryan Stonehouse averaged 57 yards per punt with all three of his lobs pinning the Steelers inside their 20-yard line. Had it not been for a penalty on a solid return early in the game, this could’ve been another A grade.

Coaching: C+

This was a slow, methodical game, which is usually a way the Titans like to play. But the Steelers like to play that way, too, and coming off one of the most explosive games in recent memory, the Titans might’ve been served better to be the aggressor a little more often.

That said, the offensive line was severely overmatched, and managing to keep things moving offensively despite the mismatch was some impressive game planning. The decision to go run-run-run-deep shot on the crucial four-and-out in the final minutes, effectively taking the ball out of Levis’ hands until they had no choice but to pass, is worthy of scrutiny.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nickusss.