Beware, Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4), for a struggling, identity-starved NFL team is next on the schedule. The Tennessee Titans (2-7), among the worst in the league, host the Steelers on Monday Night Football in Week 11, striving to be the next team to knock off a team that has looked mostly elite against quality competition, but lost against bottom-feeders.
With half of its four losses coming to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets, Pittsburgh will need to bounce back in this favorable matchup that leads into the team’s bye week. After winning three straight at home against Houston, Indianapolis and Baltimore, the Steelers lost to the one-win Jets, committing four turnovers and falling behind early in an enigmatic loss.
Tennessee is just 2-7 under first-year head coach Ken Whisenhunt, the former Steelers offensive coordinator and head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Whisenhunt replaced Mike Munchak, who is now the offensive line coach under Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. Needless to say, the coaching staffs know the other side pretty well, so strategy and adjustments ought to play as much a role as the talent on the field would in most matchups.
On paper, the edge in talent definitely goes to Pittsburgh. The quarterback matchup will feature Ben Roethlisberger, who comes off a mediocre performance at the Jets that followed up two brilliant, record-setting performances in the games prior. On the other side, rookie Zach Mettenberger will make his fourth appearance and third start. In his two starts, Tennessee has lost each game (vs. Houston and at Baltimore) by two touchdowns. Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has engineered ways to dominate rookie quarterbacks during his tenure in Pittsburgh, going 18-2 against them since the 2004 season, when he returned to Pittsburgh to take the job. That includes the team’s dismantling on Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles earlier this season in a 17-9 victory that included a key interception returned for a touchdown.
Mettenberger has completed a respectable 61 percent of his passes for three touchdowns and three interceptions, averaging about 240 yards per start. The Titans have some depth at the receiver and tight end positions, but no major star. Tight end Delanie Walker and WR Kendall Wright lead the way with 38 and 39 receptions, respectively, and Justin Hunter and former Steeler Nate Washington also produce with some consistency. At running back, veteran Shonn Greene has lost carries lately to rookie Bishop Sankey, and the speedy Dexter McCluster can be dangerous out of the backfield as well, especially in the passing game.
Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehurst shared the starts before Mettenberger took over three weeks ago. Between injuries and ineffectiveness, the Titans QB situation has been a carousel that the team believes can be solidified by the sixth-round draft pick out of LSU. Tennessee sits in third place in the AFC South behind Indianapolis and Houston and only ahead of one-win Jacksonville, so the playoffs are basically already out of reach. Whisenhunt and his young team are in full rebuilding mode and, while focusing on improvement week to week, will be hungry to potentially ruin the season for a contending Steelers squad that cannot afford another failure against a losing team in the crowded AFC North division.
As of Sunday afternoon, the Steelers are tied with the idle Baltimore Ravens (6-4) and the Cleveland Browns (6-4) who lost a home game to Houston. A Cincinnati win at New Orleans improved the Bengals to 6-3-1 and placed them a half game ahead in the division. A Pittsburgh victory on Monday Night Football in Nashville would again earn the black and gold a spot alone in first place with five games remaining.
When: Monday, November 17, 2014 – 8:30 pm EST
Where: LP Field – Nashville, TN
Watch: ESPN (Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden)
Spread: Steelers -6 (via Bovada)
Last Meeting: The teams have met in each of the last six seasons, splitting those with three wins apiece. In 2013, the Steelers lost the season opener at Heinz Field, 16-9 in a game that began with a bizarre safety when Titans kick returner Darius Reynaud indecisively stepped out and back into the end zone, giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead three seconds into the season. Shortly thereafter, Maurkice Pouncey would be lost for the season and the Steelers offensive line would struggle all season.
Pittsburgh lost on its last visit to Nashville, 26-23 in a 2012 meeting. The team’s last victory over the Titans came in 2011, 38-17 at Heinz Field.
Keys for Pittsburgh:
1) Take the Titans seriously, for crying out loud. Flat, listless performances against lowly Tampa Bay and New York stand between the Steelers and an 8-2 record and, possibly, homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Instead, Pittsburgh battles with the other three AFC North contenders. They have made life difficult on themselves and must come out of Nashville with what should be a victory.
2) Get back to the running game, especially with Le’Veon Bell. Bell had just 20 yards in the Ravens game, though he obviously wasn’t needed in that game dominated by Roethlisberger and the air attack. In the loss to the Jets, he had just 36 yards. He is still being used well in the passing game, giving the QB an easy option when under duress, but it will be good for everybody on Pittsburgh’s offense if he has at least 20 carries. Tennessee ranks 29th of 32 NFL teams against the rush, averaging 136 yards allowed per game.
3) The pass rush, suddenly led by a relentless and remarkable James Harrison, will do well to get to Mettenberger and make life hard on the rookie. If not, he could get comfortable and start to pick apart the broken secondary that will be missing Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu and Shamarko Thomas.
Keys for Tennessee:
1) Maybe the Titans will have some Monday Night magic? It is well-documented that Pittsburgh has ruled on Monday Night, especially at home. The Steelers are already 1-0 on the season, winning at Heinz Field against Houston. Tennessee has won its last four matchups on Monday Night, going back to the 2008 season.
2) Munchak has certainly had an impact on his new team’s offensive line in half a season as the coach for Pittsburgh. As head coach at Tennessee, his influence on the line there will need to shine for the Titans if they are to protect Mettenberger and give he and the offense a shot. Otherwise, it may be a miserable night for the home team and the rookie signal-caller.
3) It seems very unlikely that Tennessee would be able to catch up if it falls behind. The key to beating the Steelers is to have early success and make the Steelers think they are staring a third major upset loss in the face. Forcing an early turnover, striking for a big play, a special teams return…something along those lines will be necessary for the Titans to have a shot in this one.
Prediction: Does it even matter anymore? When you think the Steelers will lose, they dominate. When you think they cannot possibly sink, they drown. Oh well. I think…THINK…the defense will make some plays and force the rookie Titans QB into some errors and Roethlisberger and Bell should have their way throughout the evening. Pittsburgh wins, 28-13.
