The Steelers kicked off the NFL season last night with a 13-10 overtime win over the Tennessee Titans. It was a typical AFC North slugfest between two old foes. There were plenty of fireworks before the game as the Steelers celebrated their sixth Super Bowl championship but the offenses fizzled until the fourth quarter.
It was the kind of game you expect from these clubs. Two extremely well coached defenses who prefer to play conservative offensively stymied each other’s attempts to get anything going. The Titans, as so many teams did last year, zeroed in on the Pittsburgh ground game and rendered it ineffective. Once again the Steelers, known more for their grind it out physical style of play, put their trust in Ben’s arm. And Big Ben Roethlisberger delivered going 33-of-43 for 363 yards.
The Titans and the Steelers blew chances to win the game in regulation. Normally reliable Jeff Bironas missed a 37 yard FG and had another 31 yarder blocked. Himes Ward fumbled while trying to muscle his way to the goal line with less than two minutes left in regulation.
It looks like the Steelers will continue to win ugly games this year as teams gear up to stop the run. A telling sign of Pittsburgh’s ineffective rushing attack occurred late in the fourth on a 3rd and 1 inside Titans territory when the Steelers lined up in the shotgun. Yes, it’s a ‘take what they give you’ league and Big Ben completed a quick slant to Santanio Holmes for a 10 yard gain. Somewhere down the line teams like Tennessee might beat the Steelers if they can’t rely on pushing defenses around for one or two yards on third down. But on this night Ben’s arm and scrambility (new word) followed the same familiar script that led them to the Super Bowl last year.
One last note, and possibly the biggest of the game, All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu sprained his medial collateral ligament in his left knee late in the second quarter. A sprained MCL usually sidelines a player from 3 to 6 weeks.
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