Tennessee Titans 16-20 Pittsburgh Steelers: Kenny Pickett throws late touchdown to Diontae Johnson in win over Titans
Diontae Johnson caught his first touchdown pass since 2021 to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory over the Tennessee Titans; Will Levis impresses again in his second start with 262 passing yards and a touchdown
Friday 3 November 2023 07:28, UK
Kenny Pickett threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson with 4:02 remaining as the Pittsburgh Steelers held on for a 20-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night.
Kwon Alexander intercepted Tennessee's Will Levis in the end zone with six seconds left to seal the victory as Pittsburgh beat the Titans for the fifth consecutive time.
Pickett was 19-of-30 passing for 160 yards as the Steelers (5-3) won for the third time in four games. Johnson caught seven passes for 90 yards,
Jaylen Warren accounted for 113 yards (88 rushing, 25 receiving) and Najee Harris rushed for 69 yards and a score.
Derrick Henry rushed for a touchdown and accounted for 102 yards (75 rushing, 27 receiving) for Tennessee (3-5), who lost for the third time in four games.
Levis completed 22 of 39 passes for 262 yards and the interception in his second NFL start. He once again filled in for Ryan Tannehill (ankle). Nick Folk kicked three field goals for the Titans.
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Pittsburgh took the lead on Pickett's three-yard scoring pass to Johnson, ending a 92-yard drive lasting 11 plays that included Pickett's 32-yard pass to Johnson on third-and-six and Warren's ensuing 22-yard run to the Titans' one-yard line. Penalties on both teams resulted in the ball eventually sitting at the three.
On Tennessee's next possession, Levis threw incomplete deep downfield to Treylon Burks on fourth-and-four, giving Pittsburgh the ball with 2:06 left.
Burks landed just off the sideline and was taken off on a cart. He reportedly had movement in all his extremities and walked to the team bus with assistance later in the evening.
The Titans got one last chance but that drive ended when Levis was intercepted by Alexander.
Stats leaders:
Tennessee Titans
- Passing: Will Levis, 22/39, 262 yards, 1 TD
- Rushing: Derrick Henry, 17 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving: Kyle Phillips, 4 catches, 68 yards
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Passing: Kenny Pickett, 19/30, 160 yards, 1 TD
- Rushing: Jaylen Warren, 11 carries, 88 yards
- Najee Harris, 16 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving: Diontae Johnson, 7 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD
Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb was carted off the field with a left knee injury during the first quarter, while Pickett played four days after injuring his ribs during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Folk booted a 48-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Titans a 16-13 lead.
Levis passed for 153 yards in the first half as Tennessee led 13-10 at the break.
Harris scored on a 10-yard run to cap Pittsburgh's game-opening drive, before Folk got the Titans on the board with a 36-yard field goal with 2:48 left in the first quarter, followed by Henry's two-yard rushing score to give Tennessee a 10-7 lead with 6:35 left in the first half.
Chris Boswell got the Steelers even with a 29-yard field goal with 1:16 left in the half, only for Folk's 36-yarder as time expired which gave Tennessee the three-point half-time lead.
Pittsburgh received Boswell's 30-yard field goal to knot the score at 13 with 5:41 left in the third period.
Scoring summary
What did they say?
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett: "The fact that we continue to find ways to win, I think is a huge advantage to us. No one panics down the stretch. We all are confident in each other."
Titans quarterback Will Levis: "Losing sucks, especially at this level. It's so hard to win games and you have an opportunity like that to win it at the end, and it doesn't happen, it makes you feel a whole lot worse. Credit to [Pittsburgh]. They made the plays when they needed to and we didn't."
Steelers running back Jaylen Warren: "You can't get nervous. We're not ones to fold. When the pressure builds, we love it. We love it."
What's next?
The Titans' road trip continues next Sunday when they travel to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4), while the Steelers host the Green Bay Packers (2-5).
Week Nine in the NFL continues Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) take on the Miami Dolphins (6-2) in Frankfurt, Germany, with build-up under way at 1.30pm ahead of kick-off at 2.30pm live on Sky Sports NFL. That is followed by the Seattle Seahawks (5-2) against the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) from 6pm, and the Dallas Cowboys (5-2) against their NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) at 9.25pm.
