Steelers Top Titans In Overtime Opener

While many may consider today to be the unveiling of the 2009 National Football League, the NFL season kicked off last Thursday with a narrow 13-10 contest as the Tennessee Titans took on the defend Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Defense ruled the day as the game went into overtime before a winner could be decided. Facing dominant defenses, both teams had trouble moving the ball downfield. But no one struggled more than Titans kicker Rob Bironas, who squandered his chances to win the game with two missed field goals (one of which was blocked by Pittsburgh). The Steelers paid for the blocked kick, however, as star safety Troy Polamalu left the game with what was later diagnosed as a sprained MCL, which will likely sideline him for anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks. All in all, the overtime battle between two of last year's best teams proved a dramatic and exciting way to start the season.

Titans Verdict: Albert who? The Tennessee defensive line looked impressive even without Pro Bowler Albert Haynesworth, who inked a $100 million free agent deal with the Washington Redskins. On the negative side, their schedule doesn't seem to get any easier as they host a Houston Texans team that looks to take their division by storm. The next three games, however, will likely seem to be a cake walk before they Titans must play Indianapolis and New England back to back.

Steelers Verdict: Pittsburgh looked like their old selves. This is both good and bad for Pittsburgh. While the defense looked in midseason form against a proven Tennessee team, their offensive line looks as shaky and inconsistent as they did last year. Ben Roethlisberger was hit hard several times, and the running game was sub par just like they were last season. While they might have won the Super Bowl last year, I do not see their chances of a repeat looking too bright if they continue to play as they did Thursday night, especially after the Madden curse struck again in the form of Polamalu's injury.