Category: 2020 Steelers vs. Titans NFL Week 7

Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick admits mistake on A.J. Brown TD

Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick made what could have been a very costly mistake last week.

One thing the Pittsburgh Steelers have really tightened up on this season is giving up big plays on defense. This group prides itself on keeping everything in front of them but they did have one slip up last week versus the Tennessee Titans.

All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick got caught flat-football on a completion to Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown that Brown turned into a 73-yard touchdown reception. This was the start of the Titans huge second half where they outscored the Steelers 17-3.

Fitzpatrick spoke to the media on Thursday and clarified on the play it was not a matter of communication and just a mental error by him. According to Fitzpatrick, he thought linebacker Vince Williams was going to tip the football and so he held up hoping to be able to make a play on the football instead of securing the play. It was a mistake that thankfully didn’t end up costing the team but it’s good Fitzpatrick owned it.

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Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger made the decision Steelto take ball on the coin toss

Should the Steelers have deferred after the coin toss?

Typically, when a team wins the coin toss they elect to defer, the other team takes the football and the other team then gets the football coming out of halftime. It’s a smart strategy and almost universally accepted.

Except not always. On Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger chose to receive after winning the toss and according to the postgame, he was the one who told head coach Mike Tomlin he was doing it, not the other way around.

“We always send our defense out first to set the tone, but our offense can do the same thing,” Roethlisberger.

You have to appreciate the confidence. Especially in light of the fact the Steelers hadn’t been very lucky with scoring on their opening drives. But Roethlisberger bet on himself and it paid off as the Steelers marched down the field and scored.

However, given how the second half went, it might have been nice to get the football first and perhaps slow down some of that momentum the Titans came out with. Not to mention, how many teams let their quarterback make these kinds of decisions anyway?

But I want to pass the question off to you. Are you OK with Roethlisberger dictating the coin toss or is this the decision of the head coach?

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Steelers LB Robert Spillane sells out on huge stop on Derrick Henry

Robert Spillane’s hit on Derrick Henry won’t get the media attention it deserves.

One of the biggest questions going into Sunday’s game with the Tennessee Titans was how would Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane play in place of Devin Bush. The boxscore will tell you Spillane had three tackles but one of those was huge.

How huge? Just watch the video below in case you missed the huge stop Spillane got on Titans running back Derrick Henry.

Spillane had to leave the game after the hit and pointed to his shoulder as the left the field but he did his job. Spillane talked about the play. “There’s no going slow into the hole,” Spillane said. “I took all my force with me. TJ was there to help as well and we were able to bring him down.”

I’m not sure if Spillane is the long-term answer at inside linebacker and the Steelers might still need to add some talent but for one week Spillane proved himself against one the biggest, most physical backs in the NFL and lived to tell the tale.

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on Ben Roethlisberger’s late INT: ‘We don’t live in our fears’

Turnovers were brutal on the Steelers Sunday despite the win.

Roethlisberger forced a throw to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the end zone and into triple coverage. It was ill-timed, gave the Titans the football back late with a chance to win the game.

Thankfully the Steelers defense held and the Titans missed the field goal that would have tied the game. But when head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Roethlisberger’s choice to force the football in there, he defended his quarterback.

“It’s NFL football we don’t live in our fears,” Tomlin said. “We go in those instances to secure victory.”

Bold choice considering how poorly the Steelers offense played in the second half. Either way the Steelers are now 6-0 and can legitimately make a case they are the best team in the NFL.

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Steelers avoid collapse, hold off Titans to stay undefeated

Pittsburgh almost gave this game away.

Typically the Pittsburgh Steelers start slow and finish fast but against the Tennessee Titans is was just the opposite. Pittsburgh came out the gates hot and went into halftime with a 24-7 lead. But in the second half everything that could go wrong did for Pittsburgh and only won 27-24 after a missed field goal by Tennessee in the final seconds.

This game was truly a tale of two halves for the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s offense looked smooth and in rhythm all of the first half whether it was running or throwing the football. In the second half this unit struggled to put a drive together and thanks to two ugly interceptions gave the Titans multiple opportunities to win.

Defensively we saw this group just run out of gas. In the first half energy was high, guys were flying to the football and coming hard off the snap. In the second half everyone looked flat. The pass rush disappeared and that stifling run defense wore down. Thankfully the Titans just ran out of time because I’m not sure they could have held them out of the end zone another time.

The win puts the Steelers at 6-0 on the season and atop the AFC. But this game was supposed to be the team’s bye week so are we seeing some fatigue set in with 10 games left to play with no break?

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Steelers dominate first half, lead Titans 24-7

The Steelers took control early against the Titans.

This game has been circled on the schedule all week and through one half it has been everything the Pittsburgh Steelers could have wanted. The offense set the tone early and the defense has played with more early intensity than we’ve seen all season. This has all led up to a 24-7 lead at halftime over the Tennessee Titans.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has 160 passing yards in the first half with two passing touchdowns, both to wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Roethlisberger did throw a late touchdown on a hail Mary at the end of the half. Running back James Conner has 60 yards rushing and 82 yards of offense in the first half.

Defensively the Steelers have stepped up against Titans running back Derrick Henry. Henry has only 27 yards on eight carries, 14 of which came on one carry. Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill only managed 50 passing yards in the first half but did have one passing touchdown.

This has been the most complete first half the Steelers have played all season as they attempt to establish themselves as the team to beat in the AFC.

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Steelers vs Titans inactives: No surprises among inactives this week

Here are your inactives for this week.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced their inactives for this week’s game against the Tennessee Titans and there were no real surprises. We already knew fullback Derek Watt and cornerback Mike Hilton were OUT for this week’s game.

QB Joshua Dobbs

CB Mike Hilton

FB Derek Watt

DL Carlos Davis

OL Derwin Gray

TE Zach Gentry

DL Isaiah Buggs

The Steelers promoted defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux to the active roster this week from the practice squad and he will play today. This is somewhat surprising given Isaiah Buggs and Carlos Davis have both been on the active roster this season but didn’t get the call.

Also no big surprises among the Titans inactives this week. They lost starting left tackle Taylor Lewan to an ACL injury last week.

OLB Derick Roberson

LB David Long Jr.

OT Isaiah Wilson

DT Matt Dickerson

DB Joshua Kalu

OL Daniel Munyer

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Former Steeler Ryan Clark calls out Derrick Henry for his ‘late play bravery’

Can the Steelers slow down Derrick Henry?

When Ryan Clark played for the Pittsburgh Steelers he was fearless. As a safety, Clark knew it was his job to stick his nose into situations where he might be physically overmatched and still find a way to make plays.

So when he talks about players like Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry and how to stop you, people should listen. Clark went with a very hot take when he was on First Take and called out Henry for what he called “late play bravery.”

Clark points out that Henry doesn’t take on the big guys up front and all his signature plays are against smaller defensive backs. While this might be accurate it just puts more pressure on the Steelers this week.

Pittsburgh’s big boys up front cannot let Henry get to the second level. If they do, the Steelers are going to have a hard time getting him to the ground. Pittsburgh is the most physical run-stopping defense in the league and they will test Henry’s bravery on Sunday as they know stopping him is the key to winning this game.

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Steelers CB Mike Hilton OUT vs Titans

The Steelers are going to be shorthanded on defense this week.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Tennessee Titans this weekend they will do it without two of their best defensive players. We already knew the Steelers would be without linebacker Devin Bush who is done for the season with a torn ACL.

Now, based on the practice report on Friday, Pittsburgh will be down another star defender. Cornerback Mike Hilton has been ruled out for Sunday’s game with an injured shoulder.

Hilton is the do-it-all defensive back on the Steelers roster as he can do everything from covering tight ends and backs to setting the edge against the run and blitzing the quarterback.

Hilton will be replaced in the lineup by Cameron Sutton. Sutton is a strong cover cornerback but doesn’t provide the Steelers defense with the same level of versatility. Just as they will with Bush’s replacement, replacing Hilton could require a rotation of players depending on the circumstance.

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