Steelers 19 Titans 11. Full review

Yes I was wrong. I’m not wrong often but when I am, I’m man enough to admit it. I picked the Titans to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-14. The reasoning behind the prediction was based on the fact that the Steelers never play well at Tennessee, and the fact that I didn’t trust Dixon on the road against a good defense in a hostile environment.

The Steelers overcame all of that and defeated the Titans 19-11. The game was not as close as the score indicated. Here is my breakdown of the game for the Pittsburgh Steelers:


Quarterbacks- It seems both teams tried to win this game despite their quarterback play. Dennis Dixon was 4 for 6 throwing the ball, but it was only for 18 yards. He ran 3 times for 29 yards, including a big 21 yard run. However, he was hit on blitz and fumbled the ball which gave the Titans great field position. Dixon left the game with a knee injury and was replaced by Charlie Batch.

Batch didn’t give the Steelers a big spark in the passing game either going just 5 for 11 for 25 yards. That’s right, the Steelers averaged just 1.8 yards per attempt on passing plays. Ben Roethlisberger averages over 7 yards per attempt for his career. Just saying. Until he comes back, this is obviously the weak link of the team.

Key stats for the passing game: 0 first downs from a pass play. How in the hell do you manage that?

Running game- Rashard Mendenhall carried the ball 23 times for 69 yards. That’s an 3 yard average per carry. Not bad, not great. Mendenhall did bust a 20 yard run in the game but for the most part he was held in check but defenders in the backfield. The one thing that can be frustrating about Mendenhall is his continuous spinning. I know it can create big plays, but sometimes he does it a bit too much, causing him to take a big loss instead of the possibility of getting a 1 or 2 yard gain.

Issac Redman had a good game playing with intensity and also had a key 1st down on a 3rd and 1 in the 3rd quarter.

Key stat for the running game: 6 1st downs converted by the running game. Compared to just 2 by the Titans.

Offensive line: The o-line had a weird day. Injuries, cramping, and dehydration plagued them as a unit. They gave up 4 sacks and averaged 3.2 yards in the running game.


Jonathan Scott was filling in at left tackle for an injured Max Starks had a shaky day. He got beat on the Dixon fumble and a few other plays. He was also one of the linemen that was suffering from dehydration. Scott did not look like he was ready for this and I’m sure the Steelers will think about putting someone else there to fill his spot.

Maurkice Pouncey looked good again. His athleticism is at a pro-bowl level. He wasn’t as dominant as he was last week but for the 2nd game in a row he was the best of the starting five.


Chris Kemoeatu had a pretty good game as the Steelers continue to have good success when he pulls to the right.

Defense: Insert whatever adjective you want right here. I’ll use dominant. Whether it was against the run or the pass, they completely shut down the everything the Titans had to give.

Troy Polamalu (interception, diving stop on the goal line, 6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss) looked incredible once again. He’s by far the best safety in the league when he is healthy.
Lawrence Timmons (15 tackles/12 solo) was everywhere again. He’s using his speed to his strength, and really seems to be “understanding” the game.
James Harrison (11 tackles, 2 sacks, forced fumble, recovered fumble)and LaMarr Woodley (interception, sack, 4 tackles) were back to their dominate ways.
Bryant McFadden also looks like he’s back to his old ways. He’s certainly a huge upgrade over William Gay.

In all the defense dictated the entire game. The confused and rattled Vince Young, causing him to get benched. The frustrated Chris Johnson. The Titans weren’t able to move the ball until the end of the game when Kerry Collins was in at qb, and by then the Steelers were playing a prevent defense.




Key stat for the Steelers defense: 7 turnovers.

Special Teams: Usually a weak link, on Sunday the Steeler's special teams was fantastic.

Antonio Brown ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. I've been saying for weeks that he should be returning the kicks and punts for this team, maybe now he'll get that chance.

Jeff Reed knocked in all four of his field goal attempts in to help the Steelers win the game.

Key stat for the special teams: 19 points scored. 

Bottom line: The Steelers overcame a lot of adversity against the Titans. With the defense looking like the 2008 version, this team has a shot to compete for a Super Bowl. That being said, it's obvious that the offense revolves around Roethlisberger. He is the one that can put this team over the hump.

Going into these four games without Ben, I was thinking the worse, but I drastically underestimated the d. However, you can not win a Super Bowl with 1.8 yards per attempt throwing the ball. That will be fixed with Ben's return. I'll be doing a preview of the Tampa Bay game, which is the Steelers next opponent.

As for now the Steelers are in first place all by themselves in the AFC North, so Steelers fans should be ecstatic.