Steelers vs. Titans: Experts give Pittsburgh a coin flip’s chance in Week 7

The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to extend their win streak to six straight games. Here’s why the experts are split down the middle in Week 7 vs. Titans.

After successfully predicting the outcome of the first four Steelers games of the 2020 season, I foolishly took the Cleveland Browns to win in Week 6. This week, I couldn’t be more torn on which direction the game could go.

Apparently, neither could the experts. After being sizeable favorites by experts in each of their first five games of the season, the professionals are currently divided right down the middle in this week’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans. As of Saturday evening, 51 percent of experts are taking Mike Tomlin’s team in this contest, according to NFL Pickwatch.

This essentially means that experts think the Steelers have a coin flip’s chance of coming away with their sixth straight win – this time on the road against the best opponent they have faced so far.

Why the experts are so split in Steelers vs. Titans predictions

When you really break it down, it’s not hard at all to see why experts are split right down the middle for this game. In fact, this is exactly how I predicted the panel going.

While the Steelers are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, so are the Titans. Both teams are having a miraculous 5-0 start to the season, and Tennessee is no slouch. In addition to having the league’s second-best offense that has been putting up 32.8 points per game this season, the Titans have a top-five rushing offense and arguably the best running back in the league.

Derrick Henry has been murdering defenses all season long. Last week, he gashed the Houston Texans for 212 yards on the ground with a thoroughly impressive 9.6 yards per carry. While Pittsburgh’s defense certainly won’t allow a game like this to happen, he could prove to be the best the NFL has to offer against a stellar run defense.

Even more impressive is the incredible season from Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill so far. Though he may not be the most intimidating signal-caller with the ball in his hands, he has been extremely efficient in the early going. Here’s a look at how his advanced statistics line up to Ben Roethlisberger’s so far, according to Player Profiler:

After opening the week as 1.5 point favorites, the Steelers are now 1.5-point underdogs, courtesy of The Action Network. This is a 3-point swing so far, and it could change once more before kickoff. Still, it’s hard to put a finger on why the line has shifted throughout the course of the week.

Experts and oddsmakers are both split on the potential outcome of the game this week for the Steelers. This could be Pittsburgh’s hardest opponent they will face all season. If they can come away with the win in Tennessee this week, they will be sitting in 1st place in the AFC heading into Week 8. We couldn’t ask for much more than that.