4 biggest causes for concern for Steelers vs. Titans Week 7

Falling behind

The absolute worst thing that the Steelers can do on Sunday is fall behind early. It doesn’t matter if this is due to the offense struggling to move the ball or the defense relenting against a talented Titans offense, but if the Steelers are losing early in the contest, the odds of winning will be slim. The Titans are a team designed to take the lead; they can rely on Henry to pound the ball, eat the clock, and set up the offense to score either through him or via the pass.

If after the first quarter the Steelers find themselves down by ten or more, don’t expect them to surge back as they did against the Texans earlier in the year. The Titans will be more than content to rush Henry every play on the drive and wear this defense down. This has been their goal all season, and it will make the odds of a Steelers victory significantly worse if it plays out on Sunday.

While going down by a score or less early isn’t fatal, the Steelers just can’t see the deficit rise above two scores. While trading scores may look nice, this Titans offense is designed to sustain drives and control the clock. Their goal will be to keep the Steelers offense off the field as much as possible. While the Steelers shouldn’t go to some sort of crazy lengths to change their offense in hopes of catching the Titans off guard, they also must realize that stagnation on either side and an early deficit are almost a guarantee for a loss.