Questions Facing Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 Game with Tennessee Titans

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of questions going into their Week 1 contest against the Tennessee Titans—most of which they should have answered during the preseason. 

Pittsburgh has an 0-4 preseason record hanging over its head as it prepares for a game that actually matters. Granted, wins and and losses by the second and third-stringers do not mean a whole lot, but I cannot imagine coach Mike Tomlin is happy with this preseason performance. 

The Steelers have major issues at running back and on the offensive line. No one knows if the defense can remain elite or not. And, probably most importantly, Pittsburgh will be without tight end and all-around beast Heath Miller for the first few games. 

Luckily for the Steelers, their first game is against another team in flux. The Titans finished last season with a 6-10 record and the preseason at 1-3. Any team quarterbacked by Jake Locker clearly has a lot of questions to answer as well. 

Actually, the Titans might be the perfect team for Pittsburgh to face in Week 1. They are almost a mirror image of the Steelers in terms of franchise uncertainty at multiple levels. If the Steelers cannot down the Titans, it might mean they are in for a rough season. 

Then again, if they earn that coveted first victory, it could boost their confidence and get them ready for tougher Week 2 and Week 3 games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears, respectively.

Before we start the NFL season (finally!), let us take a look at the burning questions surrounding this surprisingly intriguing Week 1 matchup.  

Who Will Start at Running Back and for How Long?

Who would have guessed in April that the starting running back for Pittsburgh in Week 1 would be Felix Jones?

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review's Alan Robinson reported that Jones will start on Sunday against the Titans. This decision is both a reflection of the sad state of Pittsburgh's running back corps and an example of the "Steeler way" (choosing experience over uncertainty). 

With Le'Veon Bell still injured, Jonathan Dwyer cut and Isaac Redman not making a strong enough impression, Jones has been handed the keys to Pittsburgh's rushing attack. Now the question is: how long can he keep the job? 

Jones looked good against the Carolina Panthers, rushing for 56 yards off 14 carries. Those numbers really do not carry much weight, but it is production the Steelers hope can translate into regular season success.

He is getting a vanilla run defense to test his mettle against. The Titans rushing defense ranked 24th in the league last year, and there is no reason to believe it will be particularly intimidating this season. 

This is probably the best situation Jones has been in since he entered the NFL to establish his starting role. Hopefully for his and his team's sake he has what it takes. 

How Much Will Pittsburgh Miss Mike Wallace?

I truly hate having to constantly reference Mike Wallace, but unfortunately his name cannot go away until Pittsburgh's receivers prove they can thrive without him. 

Wallace left this offseason in a cloud of money and betrayal for the Miami Dolphins. I say good riddance, but I cannot deny that Ben Roethlisberger will definitely miss that speed. 

With him gone, the burden will be on Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Jerricho Cotchery and Markus Wheaton to keep the passing game as formidable as ever. Since Pittsburgh is depressingly thin at wide receiver depth, hopefully they all stay healthy and productive. 

The first game might not be a great barometer for this season, as the Titans ranked 26th in pass defense last season. Brown and Sanders should be able to have a field day with Tennessee's secondary. 

Of course, if they cannot carve up the Titan's defense, that will be a bad sign for the wide receiver unit going forward. With Big Ben at the helm and a talented crop of receivers, they should be fine.

Of course, the the thing that could trip Big Ben up is...

Can the Offensive Line Protect Ben Roethlisberger?

Roethlisberger is known for dancing in the pocket and extending plays, something he has to do often when his offensive line breaks down and lets the pass rushers into the backfield with little fight. 

The offensive line has been Pittsburgh's biggest weakness for years now. Big Ben is the only quarterback in the NFL with the ability to thrive behind such a patchwork group. Still, their inability to block has led to him getting hurt and missing games way too often. 

The five-man line of Mike Adams, David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster and Marcus Gilbert is not a bad unit. Theoretically, they should be young and dynamic with a healthy chip on their collective shoulder that was put there by doubters. 

This line gets doubted because of statistics like this: in its first two preseason games, that offensive line allowed nine sacks. If they want to help Big Ben survive this season, they have to do better than that. 

The Titans' pass rush is not particularly fearsome, so the offensive line should be okay in this matchup. If they somehow find themselves overwhelmed, good luck against the likes of Geno Atkins and Terrell Suggs. 

Will Penalties Be Pittsburgh's Biggest Weakness?

In this case, the Titans have no bearing on Pittsburgh's ability to cut down the amount of ridiculous penalties it earns every game. 

I thought with Willie Colon gone the number of penalties would drastically decrease. Boy was I wrong apparently. Through four preseason games, Pittsburgh was given 243 penalty yards on 24 yellow flags. 

The offensive line (cough Mike Adams cough) may be responsible for most of these, but everyone on the Steelers needs to be aware that this is a real issue that can be easily fixed with a little extra focus. 

Pittsburgh is not a franchise known for the mental errors it takes to rack up this many penalty yards. This squad does not want to turn into the team that is known more for its ability to lose yards than to gain them. 

Big Ben has enough on his plate leading the offense. He should not have to worry about his efforts getting wasted by needless penalties. 

Willl the Defense's Age Finally Catch Up to It?

It is redundant to keep saying this, but Warren Sapp had no idea what he was talking about when he called Pittsburgh's defense "old and slow." 

He got the old part right, but the Steel Curtain was the NFL's top-ranked defense last year. How can you even begin to make the argument that the best pass defense and second best rush defense are beginning to lose their touch? 

In fact, Pittsburgh's defense got younger this offseason with the additions of guys like rookie linebacker Jarvis Jones and loss of aging stars like Casey Hampton and James Harrison. 

The defense is led by Lawrence Timmons, one of the most talented linebackers in the league. He is surrounded by wily veterans like Brett Keisel, Larry Foote, LaMarr Woodley, Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu. 

Speaking of the Tasmanian Devil, Polamalu has looked sharp all preseason and is expected to be back in his 2010 Defensive Player of the Year form. That is enough of a reason to have faith in the success of Pittsburgh's defense. 

No one on the Titans will exactly strike fear into the hearts of anyone on the Steel Curtain. The defense should be embarrassed if they allow a Jake Locker touchdown pass. They should, however, focus on limiting Chris Johnson, who has the potential to gouge every team in the league on the ground. 

This is a proud defensive unit who will not relinquish its best-defense-in-the-NFL title without a fight. Watch for more patented Steelers defense in 2013, starting with a demolishing of the Titans' offense. 

How Well Will Big Ben and Todd Haley Gel in 2013?

It was no secret that Big Ben and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were not on the same page last year. Like, at all.

But so far Big Ben is saying all the right things, telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "I think so far this year it's been really good. We've been able to talk, to communicate, and I see a relationship really kind of coming together."

Todd Haley's dink-and-dunk offense got under Big Ben's skin last season. It appeared the quarterback felt his coordinator was limiting his big play potential and thus sometimes ignored Haley's plays altogether. 

Big Ben has questioned offensive decisions in the past, but his public disapproval of Haley was more volatile. It appears the relationship is much less combustible than last year, which is obviously a good sign.

Both men are professionals who should be able to put any differences aside and work together for a common goal. In this case, that goal is wiping the floor with Tennessee. I bet Pittsburgh has not forgotten the time a few Titans stomped on a terrible towel and would like nothing more than to dismantle and dishearten Tennessee and its fans. 

Again, the Titans' passing defense is not nearly formidable enough to make either Big Ben or Haley lose sleep. The Tennessee game should serve as a relatively easy warm-up for the duo before Week 2's Monday Night Football matchup against the Bengals.