Titans, Steelers Living Up to Expectations

Halfway through the NFL season opener, the Titans and Steelers are tied 7-7, which sounds just about right considering how stout these two defenses are. Here's some observations from the first half.

If you ask a knowledgeable Steelers fan why the 2009 team could be better than the 2008 Super Bowl champs, the best answer is that the special teams could go from being one of the league's worst to one of the league's best. One half into the season, that's coming true. Stefan Logan looked solid returning kicks. The Steelers' field goal defense blocked a field goal (thanks to a nice push by Aaron Smith) and punter Daniel Sepulveda, back after missing 2008 with a blown knee, averaged 43 yards per punt on four punts, but more importantly he put two punts inside the 20, including one that was downed at the two.

Steelers fans almost universally disagree with Bruce Arians' pass-first tendencies, but it's worth noting that the Steelers early success offensively (what little there was) came when they used the passing game as a running game on first down. The Steelers got five and 10 yards on a pair of wide receiver screens and three yards on a wide receiver stop on its first two drives. On their first three first down running plays the Steelers gained three yards. When the Steelers faced third and two early in the second quarter, a pass to Heath Miller moved the chains when a run would have likely been stuffed.

The Titans' offense last year had plenty of big play ability, but it all came on the ground when Chris Johnson took a handoff. Rookie Kenny Britt is already providing a much needed boost to the Titans' passing game. His 57-yard catch late in the first half was longer than any pass play the Titans had in 2008. It's even more impressive coming against the Steelers--Pittsburgh allowed only one pass play longer than that during the regular season in 2008.

Steelers backup wide receiver Mike Wallace has one catch for three yards, but he's already making an impact. Chris Hope was focused on doubling the speedy Wallace on the Santonio Holmes' touchdown catch, allowing Holmes to get behind Hope for an easy touchdown.

Titans' cornerback Cortland Finnegan's 2009 Pro Bowl candidacy will get a nice boost from his interception of Roethlisberger's Hail Mary pass to end the first half. His 80-yard return ended up being semi-meaningless considering it came on the final play of the half, but 80 yard return should lead the league for several weeks--Nick Collins led the NFL last year with 295 yards in returns. Finnegan had 100 yards in returns last year, even though he had a 99-yard return.

Troy Polamalu leaving the game with a knee injury ranks as probably the worst news a Steelers fan could hear. There's no word of how severe the injury is, but if it's anything more than a minor knee sprain, it brings back memories of Pittsburgh losing Rod Woodson to a knee injury in the season opener in 1995.