HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn — OK, my anxiety has passed. I’m just glad nobody was taking my blood-pressure reading Sunday afternoon for a life insurance medical exam.
The Steelers-Titans game left me exhausted. Felt like I was still playing. What a start by the Steelers. What a comeback by the Titans.
Some fans of the team from Western Pennsylvania will be upset the game nearly required overtime after building a 27-7 lead. Just remember, it’s a pass-fail league and the Steelers have passed all six tests with another big one next weekend.
Truth be told, it was a stressful week leading up to Sunday. In my new life, I’m on staff at 104.5 FM “The Zone” in Nashville. It’s the flagship station for my University of Tennessee Volunteers and — you guessed it — the Titans.
Quicker than you can say “conflict of interest,” I was walking a tightrope in the heart of Titans country. But it’s all good. As our subscribers know, I chose the Steelers in our weekly predictions and -- a-hem! -- picked the correct score!
Hey, DK, it might be time to renegotiate my deal, no?
On that note, let’s get on with the weekly observations:
• The reason for my pick — and you notice that’s reason without the “s” — was defense. As in, the Steelers’ defense. The Titans entered the game with the NFL’s second-ranked offense, but in big games I always side with a stout defense. It’s been true for years and years, defense wins championships. It usually wins big regular-season games, too.
• The Steelers have the league’s top-ranked defense (286.3 yards allowed per game), and that unit was excellent in the first half in helping the Steelers build a 24-7 lead. T.J. Watt (three) and Vince Williams (two) combined for five tackles for losses on the day. Derrick Henry could barely get out of the backfield before intermission.
• Our edge rushers get a lot of love and it’s well deserved, but Williams is playing at an amazing level. He was credited with nine solo tackles and a sack against the Titans.
• Of course, some of the first-half credit for keeping the Titans’ attack in neutral belongs to Ben Roethlisberger, James Conner and Randy Fichtner. You guys know I’m a bit of a numbers nerd, and my two telling digits from Sunday’s win were 9:18 and 7:05. Those were the times of possession on the first two Pittsburgh drives. Both resulted in touchdowns.
• The Steelers won the toss and opted to take the ball. They went 75 yards on 16 plays with Diontae Johnson scoring on a 11-yard TD pass from Ben. Now, that’s how you end a 23-game streak of not finding the end zone on your first drive. It wasn’t perfect. There were some penalties and miscues, but that was one of the longest drives I’ve ever seen. In fact, it was the longest Steelers’ drive in terms of time off the clock in more than three years.
• It was a simple run, short pass, inside zone and pull the guard type-of-day. There was no need to do anything else.
• It seemed as if the Titans were content on not giving up the big play. So why not feed Conner? He once again showcased his true warrior spirit. From the first touch, Conner ran it like a man on fire. I’ve seen him run for a few years, and I have never seen him so forceful with the stiff arm. Guess my man read that New York Times story on how devastating Henry is with stiff arms, huh? I love it when a competitor rises to the occasion and reminds everyone who he is.
• And how about Ben pulling out his samurai sword after being hit and dragged down by Jeffery Simmons? His passes were surgical. The touchdown pass to Johnson was beautiful. The third-and-long pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster also demonstrated his ability to carry this team.
• For the most of the season, Ben simply has been doing what he needs to do to win. You can see there’s no ego or pressure on him to do more. He’s a future Hall of Famer who’s grooming his young receivers, while still performing at a high level.
• He did throw three interceptions, but sometimes that’s the cost of doing business. A defensive lineman tipped one. Another was just a last-gasp heave into the end zone in the dying seconds of the first half. I didn’t like the late fourth-quarter pick he threw into tight coverage intended for JuJu. That one was questionable, but it was still a catchable ball when you go back and review the tape.
• Yes, I led the observations with an item on the quality of our defense, and it did surrender 17 second-half points. You guys will say, “Ramon, they let the Titans get back in the game.” Let’s not forget the Titans entered play undefeated on the strength of their offense. That unit was bound to make some plays. We have to be realistic in how we judge a good game. The Titans reached the AFC title game last season, they’re going to be a playoff team again this season. The Titans’ second-half effort gave us a real understanding of what it’s going to take to beat the league’s elite.
• The Steelers are starting to get national recognition. They’re the last unbeaten team in the field. With that type of exposure, you’re going to get everyone’s best shot. The plays we gave up are easy to correct. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a true pro, and I guarantee you if he sees another wide receiver going across the middle, it won’t produce the same outcome as A.J. Brown’s 73-yard touchdown to make it 27-14.
• While taking calls on my morning show, a caller asked me, “How does Mike Tomlin get guys to buy in so well? Is he that good of a coach?” The short answer is “yes.” He has the gift of getting players to pull in the same direction no matter who’s in or out of the lineup. Think about all the key injuries this season: David DeCastro, Johnson, Mike Hilton. Zach Banner and Devin Bush are lost for the season. And still the Steelers are 6-0.
• For the players, it’s about stepping up when given the opportunity. Which leads me to linebacker Robert Spillane. The hit he applied to Henry at the goal line made him a household name in Pittsburgh. There are some guys — no names, please — who might have made a business decision when going one-on-one in the hole with a back that size. Spillane missed a few plays after that collision, but he was back on the field in search of more contact. He justified the faith Coach Tomlin and Keith Butler placed in him. Spillane is not Bush, but he made an impact against the run. The coaching staff will need to be smart, and probably have other options ready in pass coverage, but I’m super proud of the way Rob responded in his first start. Same for Cam Sutton, who made some nice plays in Hilton’s absence.
• Some of this goes back to Tomlin. Good coaches bring out the best in players. We’ve been seeing it all year with the patchwork right side of the offensive line.
Now, it’s on to Baltimore and a date with those Ravens. My stress level will start spiking again on Saturday. I’m telling you, folks, it’s more nerve-racking watching from the couch than playing in the games. But this is a special team, one that keeps rising to the occasion.
Talk to you next week.
