This is the fourth in a 13-part weekly series examing the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers versus their 2020 opponents.
The fourth matchup on the Steelers schedule is versus the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Oct. 4, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The last time these two powerhouses met was on Nov. 16, 2017, when the Steelers routed the Titans 40-17 at home.
Since then, the Steelers have most notably lost wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell. The Titans are now without quarterback Marcus Mariota, wide receiver Rishard Matthews, and running back DeMarco Murray.
Let’s take a look at the history between these two franchises.
The two teams have met each other 22 times (including one postseason game). The Titans lead the series 13-9; however, in the Ben Roethlisberger era, the Steelers head-to-head record is 6-3. Total points scored for Pittsburgh is 513 to Tennessee’s 484.
I’m only getting into the Steelers history versus the Titans here. But the Titans were once the Houston Oilers, and that fierce rivalry dated back to 1970.
When the franchise moved from Houston to Memphis in 1997, the team was known as the Oilers for their first two seasons. It didn’t make too much sense for a team in Tennessee to be known as the Oilers, and fans demanded the team change their name. The club played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis for one season before they moved to Nashville to play in Vanderbilt Stadium. The Titans’ home is now Nissan Stadium, formerly Adelphia Coliseum.
Pittsburgh and Tennessee were in the same division when the AFC Central existed, and they played each other twice a season.
Their first-ever matchup was back at Three Rivers Stadium in the Kordell Stewart days on Sept. 28, 1997. Stewart scored three touchdowns, two rushing and one to tight end Mark Bruener, in the Steelers 34-27 win over the Oilers.
Three months later, the teams met again on Dec. 21, 1997. The Steelers loss started a string of seven consecutive times being defeated in the series. The Steelers reigned victorious the next two contests.
When the league restructured divisions in 2002, the AFC Central was rebranded the AFC North, and a South division was added to each conference. Logically, the Steelers headed to the North and the Titans, South.
The first game post-restructure was a dramatic one. Quarterback Tommy Maddox was taken off the field in an ambulance after the final play of the third quarter. Maddox was falling forward as he completed a pass to WR Antwaan Randle El when Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck put his elbow into Maddox’s left shoulder. Maddox rolled forward onto his head and did not move. Team trainers and doctors spent at least 15 minutes tending to Maddox, who lost feeling in his limbs. It would later be reported that Maddox suffered a concussion and spinal cord contusion.
The next time the teams would face each other was in the divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 11, 2003. In the second quarter, the Steelers rallied back from a 14-0 deficit to make it a game but eventually fell to the Titans in a heartbreaking overtime loss, 34-31.
Fast-forward three games to Dec. 21, 2008, when Bulluck and RB LenDale White stomped on the Terrible Towel after they beat the Steelers 31-14. The Titans went on to lose eight straight games, including a chance to go to the Super Bowl that same season.
Since then, the Steelers have won five out of seven contests in the series.
This year’s duel will be the Steelers first time facing Derrick Henry as the feature running back.
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