Once again it was a tale of two halves, the Steelers dominated the first two quarters and then made several key mistakes to nearly blow a 17-point lead and the game. But unlike the Broncos and Eagles games, the Steelers turned back one of the best teams in the NFL in the Titans.
There was no secret at what the Steelers needed to do, control Derrick Henry and they did just that. Henry had very little running room and rushed for just 75 yards with most of the yardage coming later in the game when the Steelers no longer loaded up the box. After an opening drive touchdown by the offense, the Steelers forced a three and out and had the Titans on their heels for the entire first half.
Vince Williams and Robert Spillane plugged the middle, “Steelhead” Heyward and Stephon Tuitt anchored the line and Henry found very little room to move. Spillane also had the tackle of the season on the goal line to stuff Henry. T. J. Watt chipped in with another sack. It was a very strong day for the run defense. The secondary struggled again allowing a few miscue big plays, but for the most part kept the Titans in check. Tannehill finished with just 220 yards (73 of them on one misplay my Minkah Fitzpatrick) and was battered most of the game. He never could get a rhythm and while the pass defense was “leaky” it held up.
The offense had a tremendous first half, but then made some key mistakes that kept the game from being a blowout. The opening drive set the tone and the Steelers moved the ball at will for most of the game. Three Ben Roethlisberger turnovers allowed the Titans to cling to life. After a great run back by Ray-Ray McCloud with seconds left in the first half, the Steelers were on the verge of putting the Titans away. Roethlisberger turned the ball over on a “quasi-Hail Mary”. He also had a huge turnover in the Red Zone after leading a 16-play seven plus minute drive that again would have put the Titans away with a little over two minutes left in the game. His performance was uneven at best and it was his worst game of the year. However, he also engineered the offense and controlled the ball converting 13-18 3rd downs and did enough to beat an undefeated team, while he didn’t play great he deserves a lot of the credit.
James Conner out gained Derrick Henry banging out 82 yards and he helped the Steelers maintain control in the first half. The Steelers didn’t take the foot off the gas in the second half, they stayed in the air, when it might have been more prudent to try and keep running on the Titans. It was a good performance by Conner.
Diontae Johnson had a great return, torching the Titans defense for nine passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. JuJu Smith-Schuster led the team in catches and had 85 yards. Eric Ebron and Vance McDonald chipped in with a combined eight catches for 64 yards.
The coaching deserves a lot of credit. They had a very good game plan on both sides of the ball, and it was only in the execution that the Steelers struggled. While it is “not a perfect product” they now sit at 6-0 that doesn’t happen without great coaching.
Just going to say it again…the refs are WAY too involved in the game.
Hard to be upset about 6-0!
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: Vince Williams, we often write that he is an old school middle of the pack thumper. He did not disappoint this week and he led the team in tackles and added a sack. The Steelers clobbered Derrick Henry all game. Also Considered: Robert Spillane who acquitted himself in replacing Devin Bush, Ray-Ray McCloud who has been a great find. Diontae Johnson who really gives the Steelers a dangerous weapon.
Where I watched the game: Because of Covid-19 almost all the games will be at the house with the KGB and Dante. Last week I missed the entire game for the first time in nearly 20 years. We had a charity commitment so it was great to be back. The theme this year is “Steal the other team’s snacks!” and the fare was Nashville Hot Chicken. Absolutely phenomenal and the snacks again proved timely as the Titans never scored again when they came out! The beer for me was Bitburger Pounders and for KGB it was Montauk Pumpkin Beer with a cinnamon sugar rim!
My Stat of the week: Going with two… First the Steelers streak of 23 games without scoring an opening drive touchdown has come to an end. The Steelers engineered a 16-play drive that produced a touchdown and set the tone for the game. The other stat was 75-yards for Derrick Henry who found very little running room when it mattered most.
My Thoughts on next week: Ravens week is always a tense week. The Steelers are proficient at stopping the run, the question is are the Ravens able to pass the ball on the Steelers defense? The Ravens brought in reinforcements to help their sagging defense. Look for the usual death match.
This week’s Jersey: No jersey this week, we unveiled the new BWG Shirts!