Fifteen Round Fight Ends With Pittsburgh Overtime Knockout

Thursday's game marked the beginning of the 2009 NFL season.  There may have been no better way to start off the season than between these two teams. 

The Tennessee Titans were the team to beat last year.  They dominated opponents during the regular season recording a league best thirteen and three record.  The Titans suffered a crushing loss in the playoffs to their hated rival, the Baltimore Ravens.

The Pittsburgh Steelers posted the second best record in the AFC last year despite have the hardest schedule in the league.  Troy Polamalu and friends ended up finishing first in almost every defensive category.  The Pittsburgh defense willed the team all the way to the Super Bowl.  Everyone knows what happened after that.

These two physical teams seem like the perfect opening season matchup based on talent alone, but their is much more to it.

Week sixteen of the 2008 campaign the Steelers traveled to Tennessee.  Home field advantage was on the line.  The game was supposed to be a battle where each team had to fight for every yard.  It turned into a 31-14 massacre in favor of the Titans.

There were many side stories that were created by Titan players during that victory.  Lendale White stomped on a knockoff terrible towel.  White did not plan on apologizing anytime soon.  Chris Johnson put the ball in Troy Polamalu's face on his twenty one yard touchdown run.

All those things made thursday's game that much more interesting.

This Steelers-Titans matchup was exactly the battle that was projected last year.

The first quarter was dominated by strong defense. 

The Titans had chances to take a hold of the game early.  Rob Bironas of the Titans missed a thirty-seven yard field goal, a kick that is usually automatic for him. The next possession, driving in Pittsburgh territory, a deep pass was intercepted one-handed by Troy Polomalu. 

During the following Pittsburgh drive, the Titans nickleback Vincent Fuller picked off Ben Rothlesburger to give the Titans a second chance.  On third down from Pittsburgh's thirty-four, Kerry Collins took a sack by James Farrior that kicked the Titans out of field goal range.

Tennessee's next possession, Rob Bironas' thirty-one yard field goal attempt was blocked.

With all the momentum on their side, the Steelers wasted no time making the Titans pay for not cashing in.  It only took Pittsburgh five plays to go seventy-nine yards for the score. The drive included a twenty-nine yard strike to Hines Ward, and a thirty-four yard touchdown bomb to Santonio Holmes over the head of Chris Hope.

With their backs against the wall, the Titans responded with a seventy-one yard touchdown drive that took the Titans only three plays and twenty-one seconds.  Kerry Collins hit Kenny Britt down the sideline, and the rookie dodged a few tacklers down to the fourteen yard line.  That's where Collins hooked up with Justin Gage on pretty much the same route for a touchdown.

Early in the game, the defense continually came out on top, but just like that both offenses had effortlessly exploded in their two minute drills.

Coming out of half time, the Titans had another chance at points.  Driving into Pittsburgh territory, Kerry Collins hit Bo Scaife on a quick pass out in the flat.  Scaife was hit awkwardly by James Harrison which twisted his knee.  Scaife lost all concentration and fumbled the football.  Kenyaron Fox, who was filling in for the injured Lawrence Timmons, recovered the ball.

For the rest of the third quarter, the punters got more action than the kickers. 

A minute into the fourt, Rob Bironas connected on a forty-five yard field goal to give the Titans their first lead of the game.

Ben Rothlesburger then led the Steelers on a long eight minute drive that ended with a Jeff Reed thirty-two yard chip-shot field goal.

With the score all tied up at ten, the Titans had a chance to seal the deal right then and there.  They then go three and out with three incompletions in a row including a drop by Justin Gage deep down the middle.  The next play, Craig Hentrich takes his thirty-eight year old leg and boots the ball a whopping twenty-six yards setting up the Steelers with great field position.

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