STEELERS/TITANS Under 43.5 (Saturday) - The Steelers were involved in a wild 36-33 shootout last week, but I think that the defenses will set the tone this week. This Tennessee defense just kept getting better as the season progressed, and it was the key to the Titans going 10-1 in their last 11 games. Tennessee allowed just 15.0 points per game over these 11 games, and they were especially stingy down the stretch, surrendering just 9.3 points per contest in the last 4 games. At the same time, they maintained their conservative philosophy on offense. As a result, the average COMBINED total score of their last 11 games was 38.6 points, about 5 points less than this week?s total. The Steelers were caught off guard by a Cleveland offense last week that threw the ball deep more than in any game since they re-entered the league. However, we feel that a more conservative Tennessee approach may play right into their hands, as when given a choice, Pittsburgh prefers more of a physical, grind-it-out approach, led by their solid corps of running backs.
