Steelers vs. Titans: Complete Week 11 Preview for Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers face a daunting task this week.

Beating the Tennessee Titans has been a breeze for many teams this year. For the Steelers, though, wins over teams like the Titans have been anything but routine.

The Steelers face the Titans at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday Night Football (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET) to close out the NFL's Week 11 slate.

The Steelers (6-4) have dashed the hopes of survivor pool players everywhere this season. The previously 1-8 Jets ended their three-game winning streak last week. It was the Steelers' second loss this season to a team that entered the game with one or no wins. It made their Week 4 home loss to Tampa Bay look like more than just an aberration.

Those two losses stick out like sore thumbs and are part of a larger trend. Entering this season, the Steelers had lost nine games to teams that finished the year 6-10 or worse since Mike Tomlin became head coach in 2007.

The Steelers lost 10 such games in Bill Cowher's last eight years as head coach.

That number will increase to 11 in the first eight years of the Tomlin regime, assuming the Buccaneers and Jets finish no better than 6-10. It might even hit 12 if the Steelers lose to the Titans (2-7) on Monday.

The Steelers can again be taken seriously as a playoff contender if they wipe their feet on this NFL doormat rather than slipping on it. They have an opportunity to go into their bye week with a 7-4 record, which would be their best mark after 11 games since 2011, their last playoff season.

Week 10 Recap

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Of all the underdogs who have stunned the Steelers since 2007, none has beaten them more soundly than the Jets did last Sunday.

The 20-13 final score was deceiving. The Jets led by at least two scores for 47 minutes and had a 20-6 lead through the two-minute warning before Ben Roethlisberger's 80-yard touchdown pass to Martavis Bryant.

A common thread in this litany of losses to lowly opponents has been the slow-start syndrome. Last year, Terrelle Pryor opened the game with a 93-yard touchdown run, and the Steelers lost 21-18 in Oakland. This year, the Steelers fell behind 10-0 in the first five minutes against Tampa Bay and lost 27-24.

Last Sunday, the Jets led 17-0 after the first quarter. They put up 164 yards of offense in the opening stanza, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Steelers had five.

The Steelers have scored first in only two of their 10 games this season and both times it was with a field goal. They have not had a 7-0 lead this season.

A couple of unknown players used the Steelers as a stepping stone to recognition on Sunday.

T.J. Graham, cut by the Titans in September, caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Michael Vick to give the Jets a 10-0 lead.

Jaiquawn Jarrett replaced rookie Calvin Pryor at safety, according to NJ.com, because Pryor was late to meetings.

A fourth-year player making his fifth career start, Jarrett had the first two interceptions of his career. He also recovered a fumble, sacked Roethlisberger once, hit him twice, made 10 tackles including one tackle for a loss and broke up two passes, according to ESPN.com.

The reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week was responsible for three of the Steelers' four turnovers. The Steelers, meanwhile, forced none. It was the first time since Week 2 that the Steelers lost the turnover battle.

The Steelers have a long way to go before they can be counted on to beat the teams they're supposed to beat. A win at Tennessee would be a good first step, but they have to take better care of the ball and get off to a better start.

News and Notes

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LeBeau Gets Another Shot at Rookie

The Steelers will try to rebound from last week's loss to the Jets the same way they did after they lost to the Buccaneers—by beating a rookie quarterback.

Pittsburgh went to Jacksonville and beat Blake Bortles and the Jaguars in Week 5. The Steelers didn't allow a touchdown in a 17-9 win, holding Bortles to 191 passing yards and intercepting him twice. They improved to 18-2 against rookie quarterbacks since Dick LeBeau became defensive coordinator in 2004.

Sixth-round pick Zach Mettenberger will make his third career start for the Titans. Tennessee has lost by 14 in his two previous starts, 30-16 against Houston in Week 8 and 21-7 at Baltimore last week.

Mettenberger has appeared in three games and thrown three touchdown passes and three interceptions. He's been sacked seven times, including five by the Ravens last week.

The Ravens took advantage of Mettenberger's lack of mobility, according to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. He'll certainly be easier to catch for the Steelers than Michael Vick.

Mitchell Feels Backlash of Stunt

Steelers safety Mike Mitchell impersonated a Jet and flew over a bunch of Jets players when the Jets were in their victory formation last week.

It was a futile attempt to extract the ball from Michael Vick, and the Jets called it a "dirty" play. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said it was "not professional" at his weekly press conference, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Mitchell declined to discuss the incident at practice Tuesday.

Harrison Not Likely to Return in 2015

Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who came out of retirement when Jarvis Jones went down with a wrist injury, reiterated that this is his last season.

But he didn't completely close the door on it.

"As of right now this is my last year," Harrison told Alan Robinson the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Then he added, "But nothing's 100 percent."

The 36-year-old Harrison has four sacks in seven games this season, sharing the team lead with Cameron Heyward.

Roethlisberger Won't Blame Bieber

Ben Roethlisberger said on 93.7 The Fan (via ESPN.com) that the Steelers weren't distracted by Justin Bieber's presence at a team Bible study the night before the Jets game.

Roethlisberger wasn't at the Bible study, but several Steelers players, including Bruce Gradkowski and Cameron Heyward, posed for pictures with the singer.

Steelers Face Some Old Friends

The Steelers will see a lot of familiar faces on the Titans sideline Monday night.

Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt was the Steelers' tight ends coach from 2001 to 2003 and their offensive coordinator from 2004 to 2006. He was promoted the same year the Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger. But Whisenhunt was passed over for the head coaching job in favor of Mike Tomlin in 2007. 

On Whisenhunt's staff are defensive coordinator Ray Horton, who was a Steelers assistant from 2005 to 2011; assistant defensive line coach Nick Eason, who played for the Steelers from 2007 to 2010; tight ends coach Mike Mularkey, who was a Steelers tight end from 1989 to 1991, their tight ends coach from 1996 to 2000 and Whisenhunt's predecessor as offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2003 and linebackers coach Lou Spanos, who was a Steelers defensive assistant from 1995 to 2009.

On the Titans' roster are former Steelers Al Woods and Nate Washington.

Munchak on the Other Side

After working for the franchise for more than three decades, Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak will oppose the Titans for the first time.

Munchak was a Hall of Fame guard for the Houston Oilers from 1982 to 1993. He was an assistant coach from 1994 to 2010, becoming offensive line coach when the Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997. He was promoted to head coach in 2011 but was fired after going 22-26 in three seasons.

Tennessee Tough for Steelers

The Steelers are 18-20 all time on the road against the Tennessee Titans franchise, including playoffs. But since the team moved from Houston to Tennessee in 1997, the Steelers are 2-8 at Tennessee. It's the Steelers' worst road record against any current AFC team.

Pittsburgh was 1-5 at Seattle before the Seahawks moved to the NFC.

Only Steelers teams that have at least reached the AFC Championship Game have won at Tennessee. The Steelers won 34-24 in Nashville in 2001. They went 13-3 that year and lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. The Steelers beat the Titans 19-11 on the road in 2010, the year they went to Super Bowl XLV.

Injury Report

USA TODAY Sports

Steelers safety Ross Ventrone went through a full practice Friday.

Player	Position	Injury Status (through Sat)
Cortez Allen	CB	Probable (thumb)
Steve McLendon	NT	Out (shoulder)
Troy Polamalu	S	Out (knee)
Ryan Shazier	LB	Out (ankle)
Ike Taylor	CB	Out (forearm)
Shamarko Thomas	S	Out (hamstring)
Ross Ventrone	S	Probable (hamstring)

Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says rookie nose tackle Daniel McCullers will make his first start Monday night with Steve McLendon out.

However, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn't specifically say that McCullers will start. He just says that he'll get more playing time.

The 6'7", 352-pound McCullers, drafted in the sixth round, has played 25 snaps this season, including 11 last week against the Jets.

Troy Polamalu, Ryan Shazier and Ike Taylor already had been ruled out on Tuesday, according to NFL.com. Taylor continues to work his way back from a broken forearm he suffered in Week 3 at Carolina.

Jarvis Jones went on the injured-reserve-designated-to-return list after hurting his wrist in Week 3 at Carolina. He would have been eligible to return Monday, according to ESPN.com. However, Jones hasn't returned to practice.

Steelers.com was used for injury report information.

X-Factor and Matchups to Watch

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Antonio Brown vs. Jason McCourty

Antonio Brown has enough of a cushion atop the league's receptions list that he's still likely to lead the NFL after the Steelers' bye next week.

Brown has 79 receptions this season. Demaryius Thomas of the Broncos is second with 65. Brown also leads the league with 1,070 receiving yards.

Brown is on pace to catch 126 passes this season. Only Marvin Harrison has caught more in a single season. He caught 143 passes in 2002.

Jason McCourty has allowed 47 receptions this season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That ties him with the Panthers' Antoine Cason for the most in the NFL. McCourty also has been targeted 70 times, which is third-most in the league.

The ball will be thrown in McCourty's direction plenty of times Monday night. Not only has Brown caught at least five passes for 50 yards in an NFL-record 26 straight games, he's also caught at least seven passes for 70 yards in five straight games. That's only two shy of the record shared by Anquan Boldin and Isaac Bruce, according to Pro Football Reference.

The Titans have allowed 232.1 passing yards per game, 11th in the NFL.

Kelvin Beachum vs. Jurrell Casey

Jurrell Casey leads the Titans with four sacks, and according to the Titans' depth chart on Ourlads.com, he lines up opposite the left defensive end. That would put him on the right side against Steelers left tackle Kelvin Beachum.

Two of Casey's sacks came in the Titans' Week 2 home loss to Dallas. The other two came in their home win over Jacksonville in Week 6. He's had two quarterback hits and five quarterback hurries in the three games since then.

Beachum has allowed seven sacks this season, according to PFF, third-most among tackles. Yet he ranks ninth overall at the position.

Beachum was charged with three sacks in the Steelers' 27-24 home loss to one-win Tampa Bay in Week 4. He hasn't allowed more than one sack in any other game.

James Harrison vs. Taylor Lewan

Rookie Taylor Lewan, the 11th overall draft pick out of Michigan, took over as the Titans' starting left tackle in Week 6. He's allowed two sacks, one quarterback hit and three quarterback hurries since then, according to PFF.

The 23-year-old will be locked up with 36-year-old James Harrison Monday. In seven games since coming out of retirement, Harrison leads the Steelers with four sacks and leads all 3-4 outside linebackers with 12 quarterback hits. 

If Harrison can take Lewan to school, the Steelers will rattle rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger.

Lawrence Timmons vs. Bishop Sankey

Bishop Sankey was the first running back taken in the 2014 NFL draft. He went in the second round, 54th overall.

He's struggled so far in his rookie season with just 357 yards, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. However, he's gained 207 yards in the last four games.

The Steelers are 12th in the NFL, with 107.5 rushing yards allowed per game, but they've been inconsistent. They've allowed 132 or more rushing yards in five games and 63 or less in the other five. The Jets managed to tread on them for 150 yards last week, but Lawrence Timmons made a season-high 13 combined tackles.

Timmons has worked his way into third place in the NFL with 91 combined tackles. The only players ahead of him are reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly and 2013 First Team All-Pro Lavonte David. 

Timmons, an eighth-year veteran, has never been honored with so much as a Pro Bowl berth. He and Ravens rookie C.J. Mosley are tied for the top ranking among run-stopping inside linebackers, according to PFF.

Sankey hasn't run for more than 61 yards in a game, and Timmons will be largely responsible for making sure he doesn't have a breakout performance.

Steelers X-Factor to Watch: Heath Miller

Heath Miller caught a career-high 10 passes in one game this season. He caught seven passes for 112 yards, the second-highest total of his career, in the Steelers' 51-34, Week 8 win over the Colts.

Yet the following week, Miller wasn't targeted until the fourth quarter against the Ravens. Then on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, Ben Roethlisberger didn't throw to him until late in the third quarter.

The Steelers have to make Miller part of their game plan. Antonio Brown is their only consistent receiver. Markus Wheaton had an up-and-down game against the Jets. Martavis Bryant caught his sixth touchdown pass in four games, but he also was at fault for an interception at the goal line.

Le'Veon Bell is the Steelers' second-leading pass-catcher with 55, but according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, defenders have been holding him to keep him from getting out into space. Only once in a while do officials catch the holding.

If that continues, the Steelers need to make Miller a factor a lot earlier in the game.

Prediction

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If the Steelers' Week 4 loss to winless Tampa Bay was a wake-up call, they must have hit the snooze button because they lost to a one-win team last week.

The Steelers can't sleep on the Titans. They have not one but two wins. Sure, one was at home over the Jaguars (1-8) in Week 6, 16-14. They also boast a 26-10 win at Kansas City (6-3). But that was in Week 1, so it might as well have been a lifetime ago.

If the Steelers lose Monday night and both the Jets and Titans finish the season 6-10 or worse, it will be the first time since 2009 that the Steelers have lost back-to-back games against such lowly teams. It would start to look an awful lot like that vexing 2009 campaign.

The Steelers started 6-2 that year then lost five in a row. The last two losses came at home to the 4-12 Raiders and at 5-11 Cleveland four days later on Thursday Night Football.

This time, the Steelers have eight days to recover from their crash landing against the Jets. They won't sleepwalk through Monday night's game the way they did at Cleveland five years ago.

Even if they can't bully NFL weaklings like they should, the Steelers have proven this season they still can pick on rookie quarterbacks. The Steelers can take advantage of Zach Mettenberger, as well as the Titans' weakness against the run.

Tennessee has allowed 136.6 rushing yards per game this season, good for 29th in the NFL. This will be the Steelers' fifth game against a team in the bottom 10 in rushing defense. They ran for 127 yards and 138 yards in their two games against Cleveland (28th). They ran for 264 yards at Carolina (23rd) and they ran for 111 at Jacksonville (26th).

This won't be an air show, but the Steelers will get back in the win column.

Prediction: Steelers 23, Titans 14

Statistics are from NFL.com unless otherwise noted.

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