Tennessee Titans score prediction vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Our NFL Week 9 pick is in

Two teams. Two inconsistent offenses. Two aggressive defenses. Zero guarantees at quarterback. All the makings of a classic "Thursday Night Football" slopfest are here.

The Tennessee Titans (3-4) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Thursday (7:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video). Both teams are dealing with injuries to their starting quarterbacks, complicating situations for offenses that haven't exactly lit scoreboards this season.

The difference is the Titans are coming off their best offensive showing of 2023 thanks to a dominant debut from rookie quarterback Will Levis in Week 8. The Steelers, meanwhile, struggled to move the football when backup Mitch Trubisky replaced starter Kenny Pickett, who will be a game-time decision Thursday with a rib injury.

Another big difference: Levis had his success against an Atlanta Falcons defense with the second-fewest sacks in the NFL. Now he'll be staring down T.J. Watt, one of the NFL's best pass rushers, behind an offensive line that had no answers against Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett earlier this season.

Here are The Tennessean's scouting report and score prediction for Thursday's game.

Titans offense vs. Steelers defense

For as great as the Steelers' pass rush can be, the defense overall has been having a down year. It ranks 28th in yards allowed per play, 27th in yards allowed per rush, 25th in yards allowed per pass, 24th in first downs allowed per game and 23rd in third-down conversion rate allowed. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers are the only teams allowing more yards per game than the Steelers, but Pittsburgh's bend-don't-break defense has survived thanks to 15 takeaways, a pretty solid red zone defense and that vaunted pass rush.

Of course, it can be argued the Titans' three greatest offensive deficiencies this year have been pass protection, turnovers and poor performances in the red zone. So there's a clear path for Watt and company to derail the Titans' plans even if the Steelers are prone to giving up yards and conversions.

If Levis has time to throw, he's proven he can uncork a pretty deep ball. With Steelers star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick out for the game because of a hamstring injury, the Titans should have opportunities to take those deep shots. But with Titans starting tackle Chris Hubbard working his way through concussion protocol, the Steelers' edge rushers also could have an easier time getting to Levis more quickly.

Another great way to avoid the pass rush would be to lead with Derrick Henry and the rushing attack. The Steelers allow the NFL's fifth-most rushing yards per game but also just four rushing touchdowns, another situation where the battle comes down to the Steelers allowing a bunch of yards but not that many points.

Advantage: This one feels like a draw, but the Steelers might have a slight advantage given the way they create turnovers.

Titans defense vs. Steelers offense

The Steelers' offense is in bad shape whether Pickett or Trubisky is behind center. They're averaging the second-fewest points per drive in the NFL, behind only the New York Giants, and rank last in the NFL in average time of possession. They're one of only two teams averaging fewer than 200 pass yards and fewer than 80 rush yards per game, and they've gone three-and-out 25 times in seven games.

Sunday's win against the Atlanta Falcons was a step forward for the Titans' defense, especially when it came to the pass rush. But the defense, like the rest of the team, has struggled to match how well it has played in Nashville versus its performance on the road. And even when the defense is playing its best, the Titans aren't creating turnovers.

The strength of this Titans defense remains its defensive front, though, and the Steelers allow the fifth-highest quarterback pressure rating in the league, along with the fourth-lowest average rushing yards before contact mark. If Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry and Harold Landry can play the way they did Sunday, the Titans have potential to wreak havoc in the Steelers' backfield.

Advantage: Titans, no matter who plays QB.

Prediction: Titans 20, Steelers 12

Levis probably comes down to earth a little bit after his statement-game debut. But he's leaps and bounds ahead of whoever the Steelers will use as their quarterback. The Steelers' pass rush presents a few problems and likely creates at least one turnover, but the Titans overcome and finally pull out a road win.

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.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans vs. Steelers: Our score prediction, scouting report