Monday Night Football Week 11: TV Schedule, Live Stream for Steelers vs. Titans

The Week 11 edition of Monday Night Football pits the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans against each other in what is sure to be a gritty AFC showdown.

Pittsburgh, seemingly like any team out of the AFC North this season, is erratic at best on a week-to-week basis and one week removed from its latest debacle, a loss to the New York Jets.

On the other hand, Tennessee is a team that feels like it is quite close to being a threat to most teams, as a rebuild rages around a rookie under center. Ken Whisenhunt's team has just two wins on the season but continues to fight each and every time out.

In a battle littered with storylines and explosive skill-position players, anything is possible. That is especially true with these two, a pair of the NFL's more unpredictable teams.

Game Info

When: Monday, November 17, 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Betting Info: (via Odds Shark)

• Over/Under: 46
• Spread: Pittsburgh (-6)

Storylines to Watch

Rookie in the Spotlight 

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Expect to hear a lot about Titans rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger Monday night.

A sixth-round draft pick out of LSU, Mettenberger was handed control of the offense a few weeks back and has shown some encouraging progress. The stats are not overwhelming by any means, but the former Tigers star has shown a booming arm and an ability to get through his reads:

OPP	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	TD	INT
vs HOU	27	41	299	65.9	2	1
at BAL	16	27	179	59.3	1	1

Outside of hype surrounding the length of both men's last names, expect to hear loads about how Mettenberger compares to his counterpart Monday night, Ben Roethlisberger. 

After all, he is often praised as difficult to bring down and mobile enough to extend plays in a way that the Steelers signal-caller can. Veteran wideout Nate Washington, who has now played with both at the pro level, says the rookie is well on his way, as captured by Scott Brown of ESPN.com: 

"

(Mettenberger) can make those tight throws like Ben can. You see those types of plays develop in order to give them a chance. He is one of the guys when plays break down, he seems to find a way to make a play with his arm. Those are a lot of things that kind of remind me of Ben, seeing those types of things and that type of play from him. 

"

When push comes to shove, Mettenberger has something to prove against the Steelers, a team that ranks 15th in the league with an average of 239.5 passing yards allowed per game. 

To make a statement, though, he will have to do so against a defense hungry to exploit a first-year player, as illustrated by assistant head coach John Mitchell, via David Todd of 970 ESPN Pittsburgh:

The Titans are all-in with Mettenberger at the moment, especially with Charlie Whitehurst and Jake Locker ineffective at best.

With the future being now for the Titans, Monday is the first real test for a rookie quarterback who will get a taste of what prime time is all about. How he performs may prove to be quite revealing about his developmental arc in the coming weeks, months and perhaps years.

Licking the Wounds

Elsa/Getty Images

How the Steelers have responded to adversity this season has been, well, interesting.

Think back to Week 4, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stole one at Heinz Field via a last-second touchdown. Mike Tomlin's team responded by going to Jacksonville and hardly escaping with a win, 17-9. A week after that was a 31-10 loss at the hands of Cleveland before a historic stretch from Roethlisberger.

The point is, nobody knows how the Steelers will respond Monday night one week removed from an upset.

This is especially the case when one ponders the fact the defense will be without a number of starters. According to Brown, starting nose tackle Steve McLendon, safeties Shamarko Thomas and Troy Polamalu, linebacker Ryan Shazier and cornerback Ike Taylor will all miss Monday's showdown.

For Tomlin, even in the face of all the injuries, this is the focal point come Monday—how his team responds.

“Quite frankly, that’s what we have to guard against,” Tomlin said, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “The ability to move forward to the next challenge will define us. Teams have to move on.” 

Elsa/Getty Images

It starts on offense, where Roethlisberger (3,063 yards, 23 touchdowns to five interceptions) has to take better care of the football, as he tossed a pair of careless interceptions last week. The proper response criteria then drifts to proper usage of star back Le'Veon Bell, who only got 10 carries last week.

Most important, though, is the response by the defense. Tennessee may be led by a rookie, but there is enough talent there to outpace the Steelers if the unit does not play at a high level, especially considering Mettenberger is flanked by a top-11 pass defense.

Whether Monday is another erratic showing or defiance in the face of adversity to keep pace in the AFC North is hard to say, but even Tomlin understands the showing on prime time may define his team's season.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).