Titans rule Tannehill out as Levis to start at QB

Last updated: 2023/11/01 at 10:09 PM

BigP Published November 1, 2023

Turron Davenport, ESPNNov 1, 2023, 05:06 PM ET
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The Tennessee Titans will be without starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill for Thursday’s game at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rookie quarterback Will Levis will start his second game in place of Tannehill and will be opposed by Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett, who does not have an injury designation after leaving Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with an injury to his ribs.

Titans coach Mike Vrabel wanted to monitor Tannehill’s progress in a short week. But Tannehill was unable to practice. Tannehill suffered a right high ankle sprain in Tennessee’s Week 6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in London. The injury caused Tannehill to have a cast placed on his foot for a couple of days before switching to a walking boot.

Tannehill has been able to walk around the facility on his own and has worked to rehab the ankle over the past couple of weeks. The ankle injury is similar to the initial high ankle sprain Tannehill suffered last season, causing him to miss two games.

Levis completed 19 of his 29 pass attempts for 238 yards and four touchdowns in his NFL debut, a 28-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons last week. Levis said playing in a rowdy environment like Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium made the Steelers matchup one of the games he circled at the beginning of the year.

Three of Levis’ touchdown passes went to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who is listed as questionable due to a toe injury and didn’t practice on Wednesday.

“Going into that loud stadium, it’s a big-time environment,” Levis said on Tuesday. “We’re ready to handle it and I’m just looking forward to going and taking it all in and then just doing my thing.”

Pickett said Tuesday he would be “playing for sure” against the Titans, despite coach Mike Tomlin saying a day earlier that Pickett would be a game-time decision.

The ribs injury can affect his throwing motion, Pickett said Tuesday.

“When I’m coming through, being able to have torque, rotating,” the quarterback said. “Obviously, your ribs are a huge part of that, so just being smart these two days and get ready to go Thursday night.”

ESPN’s Brooke Pryor contributed to this report.