Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans preview and pick
August 24th, 2019
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | O/U |
|---|
Pittsburgh Steelers | +2.5 (EVEN) | +130 | O 40.0 (-105) |
Tennessee Titans | -2.5 (-110) | -145 | O 40.0 (-105) |
Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee is the site for a standalone Sunday-night preseason affair between the Steelers and Titans. NFL exhibition games are often won by the team that gives the greater effort, and the hometown Titans will probably care more about this “meaningless” contest than the Steelers, a perennial contender.
Pittsburgh’s lack of interest in the preseason is demonstrated by fully healthy star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger biding his time on the bench through his team’s first two exhibition games. Running back James Conner also started one game and skipped another.
Pittsburgh’s lack of interest in the preseason is demonstrated by fully healthy star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger biding his time on the bench through his team’s first two exhibition games. Running back James Conner also started one game and skipped another.
Titans have yet to throw an interception
Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota has not strained himself in the preseason for head coach Mike Vrabel, but the Titans have gotten solid contributions from Ryan Tannehill (19-for-27, 214 yards, three touchdowns) and Logan Woodside (18-for-32, 210 yards, two TDs) in the passing game so far. Most importantly no Titan has tossed an interception this preseason. Mariota looked sharp against the Patriots last week, when he went 6-for-9 with a TD pass to tight end Delanie Walker in the quarterback's first NFL game action since he was carted off the field with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1 of 2018.🚨NO-LOOK PASS ALERT🚨 Marcus Mariota manipulates the defense with a no-look pass to Delanie Walker for the touchdown. Thing of beauty #TENvsNE pic.twitter.com/2lmJc6TQ9L
— Justin Graver (@titansfilmroom) August 17, 2019
“It’s a privilege to play with someone like that,” Mariota told reporters after the game. “We’ve been together now for five years. (Walker) continues to make plays game-in and game-out. He’s just fun to play with and he makes my job easy.”
Tennessee is still waiting on Henry
No Tennessee running back has found the end zone on the ground yet, but that seems overdue, as the Titans ran for 15 TDs in 2018, tied for 11th in the league. The return of Derrick Henry, who has yet to debut this preseason because of a foot injury but was seen recently in practice, would only help this cause.Most yards after contact per carry in 2018 (min. 100 carries):
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 21, 2019
1. Derrick Henry: 2.85
2. Austin Ekeler: 2.63
3. Kareem Hunt: 2.63
4. Nick Chubb: 2.41
5. Mark Ingram: 2.37
6. Saquon Barkley: 2.32
Pittsburgh's ground game needs work
Shaky offensive line play from Mike Tomlin’s team has made it difficult for the Steelers to establish the run, and they recorded just 124 yards on the ground in 31 attempts in Week 2 of the preseason against the Chiefs’ shameful stoppers. It’s worth noting Pittsburgh is 11-16 in exhibition play since 2013, even with their 2-0 record this August.NFL free play: Titans -2.5
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