COIN TOSS: Steelers call tails. It's tails. Steelers elect to receive.
1:17 p.m. – What Went Right: It had been 23 games since the Steelers scored a touchdown on the opening possession of a game. Against the Titans, they scored two touchdowns on the opening possession, but only one counted. On a 16-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson, Ben Roethlisberger completed 10-of-12 for 82 of the yards along with the score. The drive consumed 9:18 of the first quarter, and the Steelers held a 7-0 lead with 5:42 remaining in the first quarter.
1:23 p.m. – What Went Right: The defense did its job on Tennessee's possession following the touchdown pass to Johnson. After a first-down holding penalty on tight end Jonnu Smith, Ryan Tannehill was under pressure from Cam Heyward and Bud Dupree and had to throw the ball away, Derek Henry gained 1 yard, and Cam Sutton almost made a diving interception on third-and-15. After Brett Kern's punt and Ray-Ray McCloud's 11-yard return, the Steelers began on their 39-yard line.
1:40 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers extended their lead to 14-0 with a 13-play, 61-yard drive that was capped by a 1-yard run by Benny Snell. Ben Roethlisberger converted a third-and-14 with a 22-yard pass to Eric Ebron, and he converted a third-and-12 with a 21-yard completion to JuJu Smith-Schuster. By the end of that drive, the Steelers were 7-for-7 on third downs. There was 12:16 left in the first half.
1:52 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Titans answered the Steelers' second touchdown drive with one of their own, which covered 75 yards in 112 plays and was capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis. The Steelers had a chance at a potential interception on a third-down pass that was tipped in the secondary by Adam Humphries came down with the tip for a 22-yard gain, and then on a third-and-1 Henry Mondeaux was drawn offside by a hard-count. The Steelers lead was cut to 14-7 with 5:26 left in the first half.
2:01 p.m. – What Went Wrong: It was the first third-down situation the Steelers failed to convert, but the possession still yielded points when Chris Boswell kicked a 38-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-7 with 2:50 left in the first half. The drive covered 55 yards in seven plays with James Conner rushing twice for 32 yards and catching a swing pass for 18 more.
2:14 p.m. – What Went Right: Special teams came through for the Steelers and put the team in position to add to its lead, and then Ben Roethlisberger took it from there. The kickoff team pinned the Titans deep in their own territory, and Tennessee had to start from its 10-yard line. Derrick Henry was dumped for a 4-yard loss on first down, and then after a 9-yard run by Henry, Coach Mike Tomlin used a timeout before third-and-5. Ryan Tannehill threw incomplete, which forced Tennessee to punt. Ray-Ray McCloud returned that punt 57 yards to the Titans 17-yard line. On third-and-2, Roethlisberger threw a quick pass to Diontae Johnson, who spun away from the defensive back and completed the 9-yard touchdown. The Steelers extended their lead to 24-7 with 52 seconds left in the first half.
HALFTIME: Steelers 24, Titans 7
2:42 p.m. – What Went Right: The Titans took the second half kickoff and went a quick three-and-out. T.J. Watt sacked Ryan Tannehill for a 7-yard loss on first down, and then Terrell Edmunds was involved in holding Derrick Henry to a 1-yard gain on second down. On third-and-16, Edmunds got a hand on Tannehill's pass, which fell incomplete. After Ray-Ray McCloud returned Brett Kern's punt 15 yards, the Steelers took over at their 34-yard line.
2:54 p.m. – What Went Right: Following the three-and-out, the Steelers drove 54 yards in seven plays and extended their lead to 27-7 on a 30-yard field goal by Chris Boswell with 10:26 remaining in the third quarter. The Steelers were aided by two significant penalties – a 15-yard personal foul call on Malcolm Butler for a hit out of bounds on James Conner, and then a 21-yard pass interference penalty on Butler on a third-down pass to Chase Claypool.
2:59 p.m. – What Went Wrong: Two plays after the kickoff, the Titans had their second touchdown and cut their deficit to 27-14 thanks to a 73-yard catch-and-run by A.J. Brown. On second-and-8, Brown caught a short pass over the middle and then raced untouched through the middle of the Steelers defense for the touchdown.
3:14 p.m. – What Went Wrong: On the play immediately after converting a third-and-3 with a 7-yard pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, Ben Roethlisberger had a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage by Jeffrey Simmons and intercepted by Jayon Brown at the Steelers 30-yard line. The Steelers defense allowed minus-3 yards on the next three plays (a sack by T.J. Watt), and Stephen Gostkowski converted a 51-yard field goal with 2:55 left in the third quarter. The Steelers lead was cut to 27-17.
3:35 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Titans were about to complete a 12-play, 70-yard drive, but one play before Derrick Henry hurdled into the end zone, the Steelers defense was looking at a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Ryan Tannehill threw an incomplete pass, but Minkah Fitzpatrick was flagged for defensive holding. That gave the Titans a fresh set of downs, and that's when Henry scored the touchdown that cut the Steelers lead to 27-24 with 10:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.
3:57 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Steelers possessed the ball for more than seven minutes and moved to a third-and-2 from the Titans 9-yard line. But then an offensive pass interference call on Jerald Hawkins set up a third-and-12 from the 19-yard line, and then Ben Roethlisberger threw his third interception when trying to force the ball down the middle to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Jayon Brown deflected the ball and Amani Hooker intercepted in the end zone for the touchback.
4:07 p.m. – What Went Right: The Titans comeback would come down to a 45-yard field goal attempt by Stephen Gostkowski in the final seconds. If he makes the kick, the game goes into overtime. Gostkowski's kick sailed wide right.
FINAL SCORE: Steelers 27, Titans 24
