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After dropping their sixth loss last Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings, the Pittsburgh Steelers return home to take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon. The Titans currently hold the #3 seed in the AFC playoff race at 9-4 and have had a steadily good season. The same cannot be said for the Steelers, as consistency has not been kind to them, and are trending in the opposite direction of the Titans. This week’s matchup is a must-win for the Steelers in order for them to stay hopeful for the postseason.
Let’s take a look at some things we can look forward to on Sunday.
MATCHUPS AT A GLANCE
Offense: First and foremost, the Steelers need to get the offense going sooner rather than later. Both consistency, tempo, and balance play into this. The Titans have the 2nd-best rush defense in the league, so look for multiple run-pass-option (RPO) and play-action calls. Now here is the elephant in the room; who will call the plays during the game? Of course offensive coordinator Matt Canada is up in the booth, but the offense has had most of its success from the no-huddle. So the first I’m watching is the Titans front seven versus Ben Roethlisberger and Najee Harris. With there being a lot of option calls at the line, the offense is going to flow through the dynamic between Roethlisberger and Harris. Look for Roethlisberger to try to move the ball downfield early in the game and put points up on their first drive. We haven’t seen that happen in a long time, and now is as good as any time to correct that.
Defense: I think the game plan for the defense is fairly straight forward this week; stop the run. The Steelers’ rush defense has been gashed the last 6 weeks; they allowed 136 yards on the ground to the Chicago Bears, 229 yards to the Detroit Lions, 198 yards to the Cincinnati Bengals, 159 yards to the Los Angeles Chargers, 107 yards to the Baltimore Ravens, and most recently 242 yards to the Minnesota Vikings. The Titans enter this contest with a top-5 rushing attack and don’t hide the fact they’re a run-first team. Although All-Pro running back Derrick Henry is out this week, the Steelers’ front seven is still going to have to account for D’Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard. With that said, the biggest matchup I’m watching this week is how the Steelers’ defensive front responds after a horrendous showing in Minnesota. If the Steelers shut down the Titans’ rushing attack and keep Ryan Tannehill contained, this will be the key to getting off the field on third downs. As an after-thought, no, I am not concerned about Julio Jones. Although the Steelers’ secondary hasn’t been able to find their footing in depending the deep balls, the Steelers have been ran off the field in every loss they’ve suffered this season. The Steelers need to load the box this week. In 2020, the Steelers held Henry to 75 rushing yards and came away with a 27-24 win.
PREDICTION
For some odd reason, Vegas currently has the Steelers listed as 1.5-point favorites. The main driver behind this may be the fact this may be Roethlisberger’s final Sunday afternoon home game. Or maybe the fact that head coach Mike Tomlin always finds ways to win at home with his back against a wall. With that said, I’m riding the spirit of the city of Pittsburgh this week and think the Steelers squeak out another close game. Prediction, 24-23, Steelers.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Last week, we were 27 passing yards shy of seeing Roethlisberger pass Philip Rivers to have the fifth-most passing yards in NFL history. I’d like to think he was saving that moment for a Heinz Field crowd, so for those who are in attendance this week, there is a good chance you’ll witness more Roethlisberger history. Looking at the all-time records between the Steelers and Titans, this history goes back to the old AFC Central days. The Steelers hold a 47-32 record and have won their last 3 games versus the Titans. The last time the Titans beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh came in the form of an ugly 13-9 game on Opening Day in 2013. But ever since head coach Mike Vrabel took over, he has never beaten the Steelers.
What are you watching for on Sunday? What do you think the final outcome will be? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Let’s take a look at some things we can look forward to on Sunday.
MATCHUPS AT A GLANCE
Offense: First and foremost, the Steelers need to get the offense going sooner rather than later. Both consistency, tempo, and balance play into this. The Titans have the 2nd-best rush defense in the league, so look for multiple run-pass-option (RPO) and play-action calls. Now here is the elephant in the room; who will call the plays during the game? Of course offensive coordinator Matt Canada is up in the booth, but the offense has had most of its success from the no-huddle. So the first I’m watching is the Titans front seven versus Ben Roethlisberger and Najee Harris. With there being a lot of option calls at the line, the offense is going to flow through the dynamic between Roethlisberger and Harris. Look for Roethlisberger to try to move the ball downfield early in the game and put points up on their first drive. We haven’t seen that happen in a long time, and now is as good as any time to correct that.
Defense: I think the game plan for the defense is fairly straight forward this week; stop the run. The Steelers’ rush defense has been gashed the last 6 weeks; they allowed 136 yards on the ground to the Chicago Bears, 229 yards to the Detroit Lions, 198 yards to the Cincinnati Bengals, 159 yards to the Los Angeles Chargers, 107 yards to the Baltimore Ravens, and most recently 242 yards to the Minnesota Vikings. The Titans enter this contest with a top-5 rushing attack and don’t hide the fact they’re a run-first team. Although All-Pro running back Derrick Henry is out this week, the Steelers’ front seven is still going to have to account for D’Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard. With that said, the biggest matchup I’m watching this week is how the Steelers’ defensive front responds after a horrendous showing in Minnesota. If the Steelers shut down the Titans’ rushing attack and keep Ryan Tannehill contained, this will be the key to getting off the field on third downs. As an after-thought, no, I am not concerned about Julio Jones. Although the Steelers’ secondary hasn’t been able to find their footing in depending the deep balls, the Steelers have been ran off the field in every loss they’ve suffered this season. The Steelers need to load the box this week. In 2020, the Steelers held Henry to 75 rushing yards and came away with a 27-24 win.
PREDICTION
For some odd reason, Vegas currently has the Steelers listed as 1.5-point favorites. The main driver behind this may be the fact this may be Roethlisberger’s final Sunday afternoon home game. Or maybe the fact that head coach Mike Tomlin always finds ways to win at home with his back against a wall. With that said, I’m riding the spirit of the city of Pittsburgh this week and think the Steelers squeak out another close game. Prediction, 24-23, Steelers.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Last week, we were 27 passing yards shy of seeing Roethlisberger pass Philip Rivers to have the fifth-most passing yards in NFL history. I’d like to think he was saving that moment for a Heinz Field crowd, so for those who are in attendance this week, there is a good chance you’ll witness more Roethlisberger history. Looking at the all-time records between the Steelers and Titans, this history goes back to the old AFC Central days. The Steelers hold a 47-32 record and have won their last 3 games versus the Titans. The last time the Titans beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh came in the form of an ugly 13-9 game on Opening Day in 2013. But ever since head coach Mike Vrabel took over, he has never beaten the Steelers.
What are you watching for on Sunday? What do you think the final outcome will be? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
