Pittsburgh Steelers set to face Tennessee at Heinz Field on TNF
The Pittsburgh Steelers will battle the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field on Thursday night. They will wear their color rush uniforms for the first time since beating Baltimore for the division on Christmas in 2016.
The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the week on short rest. At 7-2 and atop the AFC standings, they look to keep pace with the Patriots and Chiefs for the race for the top seed.
Pittsburgh is facing the 6-3 Titans at home on a short week. They have key injuries that will play a large role in this game on defense.
Joe Haden is out indefinitely with a fractured fibula. Coty Sensabaugh will get the start in place of him.
Veterans Mike Mitchell and James Harrison are questionable for the game. Harrison has not had much playing time so this injury is not as impactful as Mitchell.
With Mitchell out, Robert Golden would likely get the bulk of playing time at safety in his absence. Golden has started before due to injuries so he has experience.
Because of an injury to Vance McDonald, Jesse James will resume his role as starting tight end. Neither guy has impressed thus far this season so James will have an opportunity to show he deserves the job back.
As for the offense as a whole, they will need to get on track with a big showing. They are facing a middle-of-the-pack defense in Tennessee as they rank 16th overall (19th pass, 6th rush).
The Titans also allow the 11th most points per game at 23.7. The Steelers offense needs to take advantage of this as they have only mustered a 19th ranked scoring offense with 20.8 points per game.
The Steelers need to get creative in their play-calling and run more hurry up. The offense moved the ball well against Indianapolis when they were in the hurry up and Ben has directed quality drives in the hurry up over the course of his career.
On the defensive side of the ball, Pittsburgh needs to limit the big plays and stop the blown coverage. Artie Burns needs to play more disciplined football and not bite on pump fakes as he did in week 10.
The Steelers rank 2nd in the league in total defense (11th rush, 2nd pass). They also are tied for 2nd in the league in sacks.
The Steelers rank 4th in the league in third down percentage which is a big improvement over recent years. The defense has a tough task with the Titans and the experienced and dynamic Marcus Mariota.
Pittsburgh will need to limit the Titans on defense through pressure and good run defense. The offense needs to stay on the field and keep the defense rested.
Ben Roethlisberger has to turn back the clock and have a vintage Big Ben game. The offense also needs to find a way to give Le’Veon Bell room to be explosive. He has had far more negative plays this season than ever in his career.
Next: Steelers vs Titans Live Stream
Pittsburgh has the tools necessary to beat this Titans team. They are at home in front of their home crowd on national television so I expect them to come out fired up and ready to defend their home turf and remain the top seed in the AFC.