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TENNESSEE (2 - 1) at PITTSBURGH (2 - 1)
Week 4 Sunday, 9/28/2003 1:00 PM
vs 
201 TENNESSEE 44
202 PITTSBURGH -3.5
Detailed Analysis
Great AFC Central battle, and a rematch of January's playoff bash (Titans won 34-31, but Pittsburgh covered as a +4 dog). Tennessee (2-1 SU, ATS) has been mostly Air-McNair and defense, as usual, with an offense that averages 78 yds rushing, 240 yds passing pg. So far the Titans have been strictly a home team, too: Tennessee is 2-0 SU/ATS at home, but got smacked 33-7 at Indy in their lone road game. The Steelers (2-1 SU/ATS) went ball control last week in a victory over Cincy, but they might be better off attacking the Tennessee secondary. The Steelers are averaging 23.7 points, 269 yards passing per game behind a great air attack of QB Tommy Maddox, and WRs Atwaan Randle-El, Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress. Look for a lot of offense here. Take the over.
Projected Score: PIT Steelers 27, TEN Titans 24
OPINION PLAY ON PITTSBURGH/TENNESSEE OVER 44
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NEWSLETTERS TAKE ON THE GAME!
WINNINGPOINTS
***BEST BET
*Pittsburgh over Tennessee by 17
Double revenge, a top passing game, Joey Porter’s return and Eddie George’s slippage puts us squarely on Pittsburgh. Let’s start with the revenge angle. It’s usually more applicable in college handicapping, but sometimes it applies for the pros. This is one of those times. The Titans frustrated the Steelers twice last year, including ending their season with a 34-31 overtime victory in the playoffs. Both of those losses came on the road for Pittsburgh. The Steelers have been pointing to this home matchup ever since. It’s strange to see, but neither team runs very well anymore. Both have become pass-oriented. It makes sense for the Steelers since they have the beststarting wide receivers in the NFL with Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress. They’ve helped the Steelers average close to 300 yards passing. The Steelers like to spread the offense out, and Tennessee doesn’t have enough quality players in its secondary to cover Ward and Burress while keeping an eye out for speedy scatback Amos Zereoue.The Titans have turned to an air attack out of necessity because RB Eddie George rarely is effective anymore. George, who turns 30 this week, started to slip last year. He’s regressed more this season. Sorry but gaining 100 yards against New Orleans doesn’t impress us. This puts everything on Steve McNair, whose accuracy can be affected by a broken finger on his passing hand. McNair doesn’t have the quality wideouts the Steelers have. Derrick Mason is McNair’s only consistent target, and he’s not in the class of Ward and Burress. Versatile Antwaan Randle-El, the Steelers’ No. 3 wideout, probably could start for Tennessee. The Steelers also get a lift on defense with the return of star linebacker Joey Porter, who was pierced by a gunshot on Aug. 31. Porter missed the first two games, but returned to action against the Bengals last Sunday and recorded a sack. PITTSBURGH 30-13.
THE SPORTS REPORTER
BEST BET
*PITTSBURGH over TENNESSEE by 17
Big turnaround from when the teams met in the regular season a year ago and the Titans won 31-23 after leading 31-7. For that game, Bill Cowher’s post-game comments said it all after the Steelers had played their fifth road game in seven weeks (but had already won three of them): “We’re a tired football team right now.” Amos Zeroue had taken a pounding by that point in the season and was ineffective. Jerome Bettis wasn’t a weapon in the game because a) he played hurt the entire year and b) they fell behind so badly. Now the Steelers are much fresher, and come off a game in which their offense was limited by Cincinnati’s Starvin’ Marvin Lewis, the sharp defensive guru of a head coach, and Sports Reporter’s “Mr. Under” for 2003. Tennessee’s defense seems to be on an in-and-out run. Played well home vs. Oakland, played poorly on the road at Indy, played well home vs. the Saints. If the Steelers needed any extra motivation – and with overpaid athletes, extra motivation is always helpful – there is the not so trivial matter of their 2002 season having been ended by the referees in an overtime playoff loss at Tennessee. They cried, they moaned, they got it out of their system. Then theycircled the calendar. Jerome Bettis was not a starter at the beginning of this season, because Bill Cowher wants the guy to play at 100% later in the year. Watch this guy plow through the Tennessee defensive front all afternoon. PITTSBURGH, 31-14.
PLAYBOOK
PITTSBURGH over Tennessee by 7
Is there anybody left who doesn’t believe that Steve McNair is thetoughest man in the NFL? This guy won’t go down and there is no team he would rather beat than the Steelers. Unfortunately for Steve, he’s only beat them twice in his last eight tries. He beat them the last time they played (last year's playoffs) but that just makes it more difficult to do it again since Pittsburgh is 14-4 ATS in its last 18 revenge games. We're wearing Black and Gold today.
POINTWISE
4* SELECTION ON PITTSBURGH
PITTSBURGH 27 - Tennessee 20 - (1:00) -- Steelers finally got their overland game clicking, with 138 RYs vs Cincy, after averaging just 79 in their first 2 outings. Check that 37:06-22:54 time edge over the Bengals, who had a 19 minute clock advantage at Oakland, the previous week. This marks Pitt's first HG since their opening day rout of theRavens, who have proven far from a patsy since. We called Titan's win over Saints nearly perfectly, as McNair led them with 252 PYs & 2 TDs, even with bad finger, & George chipped in with 100 RYs. But Pitt is 34-14-2 ATS after allowing <11 pts, & Titans lost their only RG, 33-7. Did anyone say playoff revenge? Steelers!
THE GOLD SHEET
PITTSBURGH 27 - Tennessee 20—Pittsburgh eager for some revenge after bitter OT playoff loss in Nashville last season. And it was a big positive for Steelers to get “The Bus” out of the garage last week (16 for 59 rushing), as Pittsburgh (Zereoue 16 for 69) controlled the clock for 37 mins. at Cincy. Tenn. had 39 mins. of possession, but that was vs. N.O. with its 5 def. starters out. Eddie George will find that task tougher in Pittsburgh. Steelers have covered 5 of last 6 meetings!
Week 4 Sunday, 9/28/2003 1:00 PM
vs 201 TENNESSEE 44
202 PITTSBURGH -3.5
Detailed Analysis
Great AFC Central battle, and a rematch of January's playoff bash (Titans won 34-31, but Pittsburgh covered as a +4 dog). Tennessee (2-1 SU, ATS) has been mostly Air-McNair and defense, as usual, with an offense that averages 78 yds rushing, 240 yds passing pg. So far the Titans have been strictly a home team, too: Tennessee is 2-0 SU/ATS at home, but got smacked 33-7 at Indy in their lone road game. The Steelers (2-1 SU/ATS) went ball control last week in a victory over Cincy, but they might be better off attacking the Tennessee secondary. The Steelers are averaging 23.7 points, 269 yards passing per game behind a great air attack of QB Tommy Maddox, and WRs Atwaan Randle-El, Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress. Look for a lot of offense here. Take the over.
Projected Score: PIT Steelers 27, TEN Titans 24
OPINION PLAY ON PITTSBURGH/TENNESSEE OVER 44
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWSLETTERS TAKE ON THE GAME!
WINNINGPOINTS
***BEST BET
*Pittsburgh over Tennessee by 17
Double revenge, a top passing game, Joey Porter’s return and Eddie George’s slippage puts us squarely on Pittsburgh. Let’s start with the revenge angle. It’s usually more applicable in college handicapping, but sometimes it applies for the pros. This is one of those times. The Titans frustrated the Steelers twice last year, including ending their season with a 34-31 overtime victory in the playoffs. Both of those losses came on the road for Pittsburgh. The Steelers have been pointing to this home matchup ever since. It’s strange to see, but neither team runs very well anymore. Both have become pass-oriented. It makes sense for the Steelers since they have the beststarting wide receivers in the NFL with Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress. They’ve helped the Steelers average close to 300 yards passing. The Steelers like to spread the offense out, and Tennessee doesn’t have enough quality players in its secondary to cover Ward and Burress while keeping an eye out for speedy scatback Amos Zereoue.The Titans have turned to an air attack out of necessity because RB Eddie George rarely is effective anymore. George, who turns 30 this week, started to slip last year. He’s regressed more this season. Sorry but gaining 100 yards against New Orleans doesn’t impress us. This puts everything on Steve McNair, whose accuracy can be affected by a broken finger on his passing hand. McNair doesn’t have the quality wideouts the Steelers have. Derrick Mason is McNair’s only consistent target, and he’s not in the class of Ward and Burress. Versatile Antwaan Randle-El, the Steelers’ No. 3 wideout, probably could start for Tennessee. The Steelers also get a lift on defense with the return of star linebacker Joey Porter, who was pierced by a gunshot on Aug. 31. Porter missed the first two games, but returned to action against the Bengals last Sunday and recorded a sack. PITTSBURGH 30-13.
THE SPORTS REPORTER
BEST BET
*PITTSBURGH over TENNESSEE by 17
Big turnaround from when the teams met in the regular season a year ago and the Titans won 31-23 after leading 31-7. For that game, Bill Cowher’s post-game comments said it all after the Steelers had played their fifth road game in seven weeks (but had already won three of them): “We’re a tired football team right now.” Amos Zeroue had taken a pounding by that point in the season and was ineffective. Jerome Bettis wasn’t a weapon in the game because a) he played hurt the entire year and b) they fell behind so badly. Now the Steelers are much fresher, and come off a game in which their offense was limited by Cincinnati’s Starvin’ Marvin Lewis, the sharp defensive guru of a head coach, and Sports Reporter’s “Mr. Under” for 2003. Tennessee’s defense seems to be on an in-and-out run. Played well home vs. Oakland, played poorly on the road at Indy, played well home vs. the Saints. If the Steelers needed any extra motivation – and with overpaid athletes, extra motivation is always helpful – there is the not so trivial matter of their 2002 season having been ended by the referees in an overtime playoff loss at Tennessee. They cried, they moaned, they got it out of their system. Then theycircled the calendar. Jerome Bettis was not a starter at the beginning of this season, because Bill Cowher wants the guy to play at 100% later in the year. Watch this guy plow through the Tennessee defensive front all afternoon. PITTSBURGH, 31-14.
PLAYBOOK
PITTSBURGH over Tennessee by 7
Is there anybody left who doesn’t believe that Steve McNair is thetoughest man in the NFL? This guy won’t go down and there is no team he would rather beat than the Steelers. Unfortunately for Steve, he’s only beat them twice in his last eight tries. He beat them the last time they played (last year's playoffs) but that just makes it more difficult to do it again since Pittsburgh is 14-4 ATS in its last 18 revenge games. We're wearing Black and Gold today.
POINTWISE
4* SELECTION ON PITTSBURGH
PITTSBURGH 27 - Tennessee 20 - (1:00) -- Steelers finally got their overland game clicking, with 138 RYs vs Cincy, after averaging just 79 in their first 2 outings. Check that 37:06-22:54 time edge over the Bengals, who had a 19 minute clock advantage at Oakland, the previous week. This marks Pitt's first HG since their opening day rout of theRavens, who have proven far from a patsy since. We called Titan's win over Saints nearly perfectly, as McNair led them with 252 PYs & 2 TDs, even with bad finger, & George chipped in with 100 RYs. But Pitt is 34-14-2 ATS after allowing <11 pts, & Titans lost their only RG, 33-7. Did anyone say playoff revenge? Steelers!
THE GOLD SHEET
PITTSBURGH 27 - Tennessee 20—Pittsburgh eager for some revenge after bitter OT playoff loss in Nashville last season. And it was a big positive for Steelers to get “The Bus” out of the garage last week (16 for 59 rushing), as Pittsburgh (Zereoue 16 for 69) controlled the clock for 37 mins. at Cincy. Tenn. had 39 mins. of possession, but that was vs. N.O. with its 5 def. starters out. Eddie George will find that task tougher in Pittsburgh. Steelers have covered 5 of last 6 meetings!
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