Week 1 Game Recap: Tennessee Titans 7, Pittsburgh Steelers 34

What you need to know

Tennessee Titans

The Titans unveiled a new offense, courtesy of their new offensive coordinator, Norm Chow, designed to give their quarterback Steve McNair quick targets, while eliminating the seven-step drop as a way of protecting their leader. It worked to near perfection in the opening drive as McNair completed four of five passes for 37 yards, including a one yard touchdown pass to Ben Troupe to cap an 11 play, 61-yard drive. It would be their only score of the game. McNair’s numbers were efficient (18 of 26 for 219 yards, a touchdown and an interception), with many of his completions of the short or medium variety, but the Titans committed four turnovers (two in the red zone) and gave up three sacks to the Steelers’ defense.

Erron Kinney and Ben Troupe combined for nine receptions and 86 yards, as McNair looked to them often in a two tight end sets (11 targets). They were found often in the gaps of the Steelers 3-4 defense and were responsible for five first downs. Troupe caught two of McNair’s first four completions for 15 yards, and a one yard touchdown pass for an early lead and Kinney consistently picked up good yardage (10.8 yards per catch). Drew Bennett led the Titans in receiving yards with 79, but he dropped two passes (one for an interception), and as the only deep threat on the team, was double covered a good majority of the game.

Chris Brown led the Titans in rushing with 63 yards on ten carries, including a 24 yards in the opening scoring drive and a 35 yard gain in the second quarter. But he was unable to help the Titans move the ball consistently and found himself platooning with fellow back Travis Henry. Henry had ten carries for 35 yards with a long gain of 22 and a fumble lost. Of the Titans 97 yards rushing, 57 of them came on two plays. The remaining 21 attempts totaled 40 yards.

Four Titans’ offensive drives stalled in Steelers territory, two from turnovers, one on a missed field goal and a punt. Too many mistakes, including a holding penalty after a successful fourth down conversion pass from McNair to receiver Brandon Jones in the third quarter, prevented the Titans from finding out just how effective Chow’s new offense could be. Down 27-7 just a few minutes into the third quarter quarter, the Titans abandoned their running game, but could only manage to pad a few passing/receiving stats en route to losing their first game of the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers won their 14th consecutive regular season game on the heels of their running game, which totaled 206 yards on 41 carries. It made an easy day for Ben Roethlisberger, who used the play action pass to complete nine of 11 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. He spread out his completions over six different receivers.

Like McNair, Roethlisberger was sharp on the Steelers’ first drive, completing five of six passes, highlighted by a 48 yard screen to RB Willie Parker. The drive ended on a second down play action pass to rookie TE Heath Miller for a four yard score. Roethlisberger didn’t complete another pass until the second quarter, when he hit Antwaan Randle El for a 63 yard touchdown. Roethlisberger would attempt just four more passes the rest of the game, completing three of them.

With Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis nursing injuries, the Steelers put the ball in the hands of Willie Parker. With just 32 carries all last year, Parker (5-10, 209) responded with a 22 carry, 161-yard performance, a touchdown and 48 receiving yards for 209 total yards. Parker had no problems running up the middle, outside the tackles or bouncing off would-be tacklers. While several of his runs reached double digits (he had gains of 45, 25, 15 and 14), he was still able to chip away for 3.44 yards per carry on his other 18 carries. With the game in hand, Parker was lifted late in the third quarter and Verron Haynes cleaned up with 33 yards on 11 carries.

The defense played a big role as they tallied three sacks, one by Joey Porter that forced a fumble, and another by Clark Haggans. Ike Taylor and Chris Hope each recovered a loose ball and Troy Polomalu intercepted a pass that Drew Bennett bobbled after being hit by Hope. The unit limited the Titans to 131 second half yards.

What you ought to know

QB Steve McNair, Pass: 18 - 26 - 219 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -1 - 0

McNair was effective throughout the game, completing 69% of his passes, but after the initial scoring drive, he found it difficult to move the ball downfield. He managed the new offense well, using quick three and five step drops to complete four of his first five passes and found Ben Troupe on a bootleg for a one yard touchdown pass. His success continued on their second drive as he went four of four before a Travis Henry fumble killed their momentum. He helped the Titans get into field goal range on their third drive, but the kick sailed wide right. He was able to release one deep ball to Drew Bennett for 53 yards in the second quarter, putting them in the red zone, but Bennett dropped a ball two plays later and the pass was intercepted. McNair fell victim to his teammates’ mistakes and could only do so much on his own. He had to settle for many passes underneath, which resulted in his efficient, yet unspectacular afternoon.

RB Chris Brown, Rush: 11 - 63 - 0

Brown started off well, gaining 24 yards on five carries in the opening drive with helped set up a one yard bootleg pass from Steve McNair to Ben Troupe. Thanks to the running back by committee approach in Tennessee, he wouldn’t see his next carry until the second quarter, when he broke two tackles and chugged down the sidelines for a 35 yard gain, a key play which put the Titans in field goal range, only to have the kick miss right. He then ran into a brick wall by gaining just seven yards on his next six carries.

RB Travis Henry, Rush: 10 - 35 - 0

Henry entered the game briefly for one carry on the Titans’ opening drive for no gain. On the second play of the second quarter (his third carry) he fumbled after a James Farrior hit. He saw limited action until the final quarter when the game was well out of reach. He had six carries for 30 yards on the Titans final two drives, one of which went for 22 yards.

WR Drew Bennett, Rec: 3 - 79 - 0 (7 targets)

Bennett, their only downfield threat, had a mixed day. He did have three receptions for 79 yards, and made a nice catch that was ruled out of bounds that would have gone for 28 had the throw been on target. But he also dropped a couple of passes, and had difficulty shaking double coverage (he wasn’t targeted until 9:12 left in the second quarter). The Titans didn’t use a ton of three or four wide formations, so it was hard for Bennett to get separation from Pittsburgh’s top defenders. Bennett’s highlight was a nifty over the shoulder catch past two defenders for a 53 yard gain in the second quarter, but two plays later, he bobbled a pass in the air, which was then intercepted.

WR Tyrone Calico, Rec: 2 - 2 - 0 (4 targets)

After his sophomore season was ruined by an injury, Calico will be looked to fill the void that was left when Derrick Mason went to Baltimore. The result was two receptions for two yards. They came on consecutive plays late in the first quarter as McNair hit him on screens, one to each side of the field, where he was promptly brought down for gains of two and zero. McNair did attempt a deep pass to Calico in the third quarter, but the ball was overthrown.

TE Erron Kinney, Rec: 5 - 58 - 0 (6 targets)

Kinney was the beneficiary of the Titans’ new look offense, as he caught five passes for 58 yards. His first catch was an over the middle dump that went for 12 yards down to the Steelers one yard line, which set the stage for a touchdown pass to Ben Troupe. Kinney would later have receptions of 13, 13, 11 and nine yards. His big frame made an easy target for McNair, and a good safety option when the quarterback was under pressure.

TE Ben Troupe, Rec: 4 - 28 - 1 (5 targets)

Troupe was questionable to play but once on the field, he was effective. The up and coming tight end caught a 16 yard pass putting the Titans in the red zone on their first drive, and was rewarded with a one yard touchdown pass four plays later. The pass was actually behind the line of scrimmage, but Troupe fought off the ankle tackle and dove forward with the ball outstretched to the goal line, giving the Titans an early lead.

PK Rob Bironas 0 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points

Bironas converted an extra point, but missed his only field goal attempt, a 47 yarder that sailed wide right. He had enough distance, but it began to tail off soon after it left his foot.

TEN Rush Defense

The Titans got off to a poor start by allowing 206 rushing yards, 161 of them to Willie Parker, third on the Steelers depth chart before the season started. They routinely missed tackles, trying to use their pads to knock down the 210 pound Parker to no avail. They gave up four big plays totaling 99 yards for Parker. Keith Bullock had five solo tackles and eight total, but he left the game with a slight calf strain in the second half.

TEN Pass Defense

They yielded 218 yards to Ben Roethlisberger on just nine completions, including a 63 yard touchdown pass to Antwaan Randle El in double coverage. They also failed to pick up a screen pass to Willie Parker that went for 48 yards, and left tight end Jermane Tuman wide open down the middle for a 27 yard gain. They did not record a sack or a pass defended.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 9 - 11 - 218 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 5 - 0

Roethlisberger looked sharp, his decisions were made quickly, and he was accurate. It also helped that with the running game going smoothly, he was able to coast on play-action passing and he was nine out of 11 for 218 yards with two touchdowns. He found Hines Ward twice for 25 yards during the first drive, Cedrick Wilson for another 12, and executed a nice screen pass to Willie Parker for 48 yards that put the Steelers inside the Titans’ five. Two plays later, he found Heath Miller in the back of the end zone to tie the game at seven. Roethlisberger’s biggest pass came in the second quarter when he launched an under thrown pass to Randle El, who adjusted to it, and beat the double coverage for a 63-yard score. “Big-Ben” looked as poised as he did during most of his rookie campaign last year, in which he won 13 consecutive regular season games.

RB Willie Parker, Rush: 22 - 161 - 1, Rec: 1 - 48 - 0 (1 targets)

With Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis on the mend, Parker took full advantage and racked up 161 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in just two and a half quarters of work. He started off a bit tenuous with four yards on his first four carries, but he took a screen pass for 48 yards to help set up the Steelers’ first score. His compact frame enabled him to stay balanced while taking hits, and his speed helped him shoot through holes up the middle. His touchdown run of 11 yards was a run right up the gut, in which he bounced off two tacklers at the five, and fell into the end zone after taking on a third hit. He left the game in the third quarter after a gain of 45 yards, where he was struck behind the line of scrimmage before he cut to the outside and put the Steelers on the Titans’ 14. Coach Bill Cowher said he expects Parker to start next week at Houston.

RB Verron Haynes, Rush: 11 - 33 - 1

Haynes picked up where Parker left off, by scoring a five yard touchdown mid-way though the third quarter. He finished the game with 11 carries and 33 yards and will serve as the backup to Parker next week at Houston.

WR Antwaan Randle El, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0, Rec: 2 - 89 - 1 (3 targets)

Randle El made the highlight reel by scoring a touchdown in the second quarter. Under pressure, Roethlisberger tossed up a deep ball to Randle El, who broke stride and cut across to his right to make the catch. The defenders, also breaking stride were off balance and unable to wrap him up after the catch and he raced untouched for an additional 25 yards for the score. His second reception was a 26 yarder to open up the second half. Randle El also had a rush for six yards and returned a punt for 30 yards in the third quarter, but it was called back on a holding penalty.

WR Hines Ward, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (2 targets)

Ward caught two passes for 25 yards on the Steelers first drive as he and Roethlisberger seemed intent on establishing themselves together after a rocky preseason. He also had one rush for minus one yard. With the running game peaking, and a large third quarter lead, he needed to do little else and was able to rest up for most of the second half.

WR Cedrick Wilson, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (3 targets)

Wilson got into the mix with two receptions for 26 yards; One for 12 yards on the opening drive, and another on an out pattern in where he turned up field for 14 yards to set up Parker’s 11 yard touchdown run.

TE Jerame Tuman, Rec: 1 - 27 - 0 (2 targets)

Tuman caught a 27 yard pass late in the second quarter to help set up a field goal.

TE Heath Miller, Rec: 1 - 3 - 1 (1 targets)

Miller caught the only pass thrown to him, a 3 yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone.

PK Jeff Reed 2 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 10 points

Reed converted four extra points and hit field goals of 27 and 44 yards with plenty of room to spare.

PIT Rush Defense

The Steelers held the Titans to 97 yards rushing. Brown and Henry each had a long gain of 35 and 22, but managed just 41 yards on their other 19 carries, while McNair had minus one yard on two carries. James Farrior forced a fumble with a jarring hit on Travis Henry early in the second quarter. They committed just one penalty, a five yard facemask infraction by Farrior.

PIT Pass Defense

The Steelers gave up 219 yards to McNair, but kept the Titans out of scoring range for the most part. After a shaky opening drive in which they allowed four completions for 37 yards and a touchdown, they filled their gaps and closed passing lanes in the zone blitz defense. They gave up one big play to Drew Bennett, a 53 yard bomb, but made up for it with two interceptions and a sack/fumble.