The 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers look a lot like the Steelers we saw at the end of last season as they were on their way to a Super Bowl championship. Led by a rugged defense and the undying nerve of Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback, the Steelers beat the Tennessee Titans in overtime by a final score of 13-10.
To send the Steelers to a 1-0 start, Jeff Reed nailed a 33-yard field goal less than five minutes into overtime. Reed was 2-for-2 on field goals for the game, while Titans kick Rob Bironas hit only one of his three attempts.
Offensively, the Steelers got only 33 rushing yards from their running backs on 22 carries. Roethlisberger, on the other hand, was dominant at times. He finished the contest 33-for-43 for 363 passing yards and one interception. The only blemish on his statistical line were two interception.
Santonio Holmes led Pittburgh’s receivers with nine catches for 131 yards and a touchdown. Hines Ward had eight catches for 103 yards, however he had a fumble late in regulation that gave the Titans life.
For Tennessee, Kerry Collins had 244 yards passing and one touchdown — a 14-yard strike to Justin Gage. Gage finished with seven catches for 78 yards, while rookie Kenny Britt had four catches for 85 yards. The running game was relatively quiet, with Chris Johnson going for 57 yards on 15 carries against the stout Steelers defense.
In Week 2, the Steelers travel to Chicago to play the Bears, while the Titans go home to play the Houston Texans.
Ben Roethlisberger Led the Steelers to Victory (Image: Zuma Press)
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