Two contenders will put their four game winning streak on the line tonight in a primetime Thursday night game. The Tennessee Titans visit Heinz Field to face off against The Pittsburgh Steelers. The Titans (6-3) come in tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars atop the AFC North and look to take a one game lead in the division while, The Steelers (7-3) has a three game lead and look to take a four game commanding lead in the AFC North Division.
Injuries will be a big part of tonight’s game in this short week 11 matchup. Titans star quarterback Marcus Mariota is dealing with ankle and shoulder injuries, so look forward to Tennessee leaning heavily on the running game. Stud running-backs DeMarco Murray(433 yards, four TD’s) and Derrick Henry(409 yards, three TD’s) will look to carry much of the load tonight while Mariota battles through these nagging injuries. For Pittsburgh, most of their injuries are on the defensive side. 2x time pro bowler Joe Haden will be out for tonight’s game and will be sidelined for 5 to 6 weeks.
Linebacker James Harrison and Safety Mike Mitchell will be questionable for tonight’s game.
Defending AFC North Champions Steelers are 2-1 at home this season, winning tonight will better their chances of winning consecutive division titles. On the other side The Tennessee Titans are 2-2 on the road this season, Titans are trying to snap a eight-season playoff drought.
Look for Ben Roethlisberger to bounce back from a tough outing against the Indianapolis Colts Ben played well enough in the 4th quarter to sneak by the Colts with a 20-17 win but struggled most of the game.
I expect Le’Veon Bell who has 1,091 yards from scrimmage (840 rushing, 251 receiving) to lead the NFL entering week 11, and Pro Bowl wide receiver Antonio Brown (60 receptions, 882 yards) to continue their amazing play on the field tonight. The Titans will have to keep a eye out on rookie wide out JuJu Smith-Schuster who is making great improvements every week, he is becoming one of Ben Roethlisberger favorite targets.
The Steelers rank No. 10 in total offense and No. 18 in scoring with an average of 20.8 points per game. They meet a Titans team that ranks 17th in total defense and No. 23 with 23.7 points allowed per game.
On the opposite side of the ball, Tennessee’s offense is No. 19 with 328.7 yards a game.
They will face a Steelers unit that boasts the No. 2 total defense and scoring defense (16.4 points allowed per game).
Look for both defenses to try to make their mark on tonight’s game, and I expect both teams to play very well on a short week. I believe this football game will come down to the final possession of the game in this great AFC matchup.
The last meeting between these two teams was The Steelers came out victorious in a 27-24 win look for the score to be similar tonight.
Prediction: 24-20 Steelers
Written by Mike Jones
