
The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to extend their lead by another touchdown before the end of the second half.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to force the punt with just under 2 minutes left in the half. Ben came out ready to throw after a tremendous punt return by Ray-Ray McCloud that granted them amazing field position. It would not take long for Ben to find Diontae Johnson on a short 3rd down throw that would see Johnson spinning away from a defender and finding the endzone for the 2nd time this game.
TD 2️⃣ for @Juiceup__3!
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 25, 2020
📺 CBS 📱https://t.co/tI5aUTu7te pic.twitter.com/aOyFL9pjyB
Diontae Johnson was clearly due to have a big game and Ben knew it. With Johnson back and Ben throwing the ball with such zip, this offense looks even harder to stop than it already was. Diontae Johnson would end the first half with 5 catches for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was Ben’s favorite target of the entire first half.
What makes this touchdown even more important is that they were able to grow the lead to 3 possessions to start the 2nd half. It not only gives their defense a slightly easier second half. Tennessee would not be able to afford to give Derrick Henry a lot of carries until the lead had been trimmed down. The Steelers offense did a great job of forcing the Titans’ hand in the second half. They would have to start passing more to help get back into this game. They couldn’t afford to burn the clock by consistently running the ball when down 3 possessions. That is especially true considering that Derrick Henry would only tally a total of 27 yards on the ground in the first half.
The game was a lot closer than I thought it would be. I think there was some spotty officiating in the second half. It seemed at times the officials were deliberately not calling penalties. That is including a blatant face-mask on James Conner in the 4th quarter on the Steelers final drive. It still ended up being a 27-24 victory for the black and gold that leaves our Pittsburgh Steelers as the last undefeated team in the AFC.