Monday Night Preview…Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans

The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves coming of an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the NY Jets last Sunday. They enter Monday night needing a win against the lowly Tennessee Titans to stay alive for the division crown.
The problem is, the black and gold have struggled against the poor teams this season; losing to both the Buccaneers and Jets. They cannot allow their struggles against the bad teams to continue another week.
Following the game against Tennessee the team gets their bye week and it’s surely a lot nicer to go into that week off coming out of a win vs. losing two straight.
Here are the Keys to A Steelers Victory:
•    Much like last week, they cannot allow the Titans to get an early lead, especially a big one. This will allow the Titans to gain confidence and it will put the Steelers back on their heels.
2. The running game hasn’t been its finest in recent weeks and they need to get that back on track. It would be nice to see LeVeon Bell gain 20 carries and get close to 100 yards.
3. The defense needs to rattle rookie QB Zak Mettenburger. If they can throw him off his game early, they could make it a long night for the rook.
4. Coaching needs to put the onus on these guys to step up. They need to hold players accountable for their mistakes, like critical penalties, bone headed plays and turnovers.
Here are a Few Things to Watch:
•    The Team As a Whole-How will they respond after losing to the Jets last week. Will they bounce back in much needed fashion or will they choke under pressure?
2.  Antonio Brown-He fumbled twice last week and I look for him to respond in a big way this week.
3. Cam Heyward-I think Heyward is poised to have a big game and this is the one to do it. He could get to Mettenberger a few times on Monday night.
4. Martavis Bryant-This guy has been a major impact since he’s started playing and he’ll play a pivotal role on the offense again this week.
Mike Pelaia hosts the website Steel Nation Association www.steelnationassociation.com- Covering the Steelers and helping Children’s Hospital All Day Everyday. You can e-mail him at mike@steelnationassociation.com.