The Titans are poised to give the Steelers everything they have this week, and here are the four reasons to be concerned about their matchup
While the dismantling of the Browns was a pleasant result of week six, the Steelers face a significantly tougher task this week against the Titans. Tasked with stopping arguably the best running back in the league as well as a passing offense that has been reborn. While the Titans defense isn’t elite, they have done more than enough to stop opposing offenses from moving the ball well.
To be frank, there are a plethora of reasons to be concerned about this week seven matchup. While the Steelers are certainly a good team, they will be facing off with an equally talented Titans unit. If the Steelers show even a glimpse of weakness, the team could unravel and be facing their first loss of the season. Don’t sleep on the Titans, as they are a far better team than any that the Steelers have faced and should be a true challenge for this defense.
All of this said, narrowing the list down to four primary concerns wasn’t easy. There are a lot of routes that can lead to disappointment and failure this Sunday. The Steelers can’t let their guard down, as the Titans can rollover the Steelers with a top offensive unit. With all of this said, here are the four biggest causes for concern in the Steelers week seven matchup against the Titans.
A rejuvenated Tannehill
All the credit in the world should be given to the Titans offense and Ryan Tannehill for reviving his career in such a way. Seemingly on his way out of the NFL in Miami, Tannehill has established himself as one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. He was perfect at maintaining the game and not making mistakes last year but has suddenly become a sleeper MVP candidate due to his amazing start this year.
While he benefits from the defenses keying in on stopping the run, you don’t throw for 13 touchdowns over five weeks as just a game manager. Yes, the run game opens the pass, but credit where credit is due, Tannehill is playing the best football of his career. On top of this, he will be facing a Steelers secondary that has been weaker against the pass, which means he could be in store for a big game.
Despite facing the best pass rush in football, Tannehill is primed to continue his success this week. The Steelers’ best bet is to jump out to a lead and make Tannehill have to only rely on throwing the football. If not, he will likely have time to pick apart the Steelers this week. While not the biggest threat on the defense, Tannehill shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Derrick Henry
The bigger threat for the Steelers is obviously Derrick Henry, as he has cemented himself as one of the best running backs in the league. He has a rare combination of size and speed that makes him almost impossible to bring down in the open field. If the Steelers can’t plug him up at the line of scrimmage, he could run wild as he has over the rest of the NFL.
To be fair, the Steelers have been the best in the league at stopping the run. They have gone up against some formable running backs already such as Kareem Hunt, Melvin Gordon, and Miles Sanders, and for the most part, have done a great job at holding them to marginal days. While Henry is a completely different beast though, and if he gets rolling it could be a long day for the Steelers unit.
While the Steelers certainly can’t ignore the rest of the Titans offense, the most vital focus needs to be on limiting Henry. If he puts up 100 plus yards, it could lead to a long day defensively and a loss at the end of the day. Yes, there is plenty of reason to have faith in the Steelers run defense, but no team can truly prepare for a wrecking ball like Henry.
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.
Can Spillane hold up
While all of the above things are certainly a cause for concern, the biggest worrying point comes in the way of newly appointed starter Robert Spillane. The former UDFA ascended to starter last week after Devin Bush tore his ACL, and he now appears to be set to be Vince Williams running mate. While he played well enough last week, he is suddenly facing one of the most physical offenses in the league by way of the Titans.
Spillane benefited heavily from coming in against a team the Steelers crushed. While that doesn’t mean his bright spots are invalid, it does mean they should be taken with some content. While the Steelers are certainly hoping to repeat the performance, they had against the Browns this Sunday, more than likely this game will be more competitive. As well, he will have the 250-pound Henry trying to run him over, a task no defender would like to have.
As well, if Spillane is tasked with being the signal-caller, he will now be in charge of calling out plays and essential running the defense. That is a tall task for a player who was only expected to play on special teams this year. If he gets overwhelmed early, it could lead to bad plays not just from him, but from the defense as a whole. He looked good a week ago, but he is about to truly be tested by one of the best offenses in the NFL.
While the Steelers are in no way a bad team, they are about to face one of the best teams in the NFL. Considering this, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned ahead of this matchup. Keeps these issues in mind as the result of them will likely determine the winner of the game on Sunday.