It has been approximately nine months since the Tennessee Titans laid a colossal egg and lost to
Baltimore in the AFC playoffs.
Since then, the Titans have said that they have used that loss as a motivation for this season.
We'll see how they do when the season starts tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Of course, the Steelers won the Super Bowl last season, and they are basic and solid on offense. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's game-winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes was one of the great passes in Super Bowl history. However, the Steelers remain very much a power offense. Running backs Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall will anchor a hard-nosed attack.
Defensively, the Steelers remain one of the league's best. The unit posted 51 sacks last year, and Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison is tenacious.
As for the Titans, we all know that the team's offense flows through the running game. Running backs Chris Johnson and LenDale White are a formidable one-two punch. However, expect Johnson to get more of the workload Thursday. Fast, slashing runners tend to do better against Pittsburgh, which is Johnson's specialty. White's physical approach plays right into the Steelers' hands.
This is a tough opener for the Titans -- too tough. The Steelers will be on a high as they officially celebrate last season's championship with their fans. Plus, they are still mad because we stomped on their precious Terrible Towels in Nashville last year.
The pick: Pittsburgh 21 Tennessee 16
Other picks: Indianapolis over Jacksonville, Philadelphia over Carolina, New York Giants over Washington, Atlanta over Miami, Dallas over Tampa Bay, Green Bay over Chicago, New England over Buffalo, Seattle over St. Louis
It has been approximately nine months since the Tennessee Titans laid a colossal egg and lost to 
1 comment:
Pittsburgh 13 Tennessee 10. The defense played well enough to win, but the four-man pass rush needs a lot of work. Plus, blocked field goals are starting to become a trend. We had one blocked in the preseason against Cleveland and again tonight.
Lots to work on before we play Houston next week.
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