The Pittsburgh Steelers can crawl back to above the .500 mark this Sunday when they host the Tennessee Titans. Myriad injuries and generally uninspired play has most fans and experts down on the defending AFC champions, which their fall in the NFL power rankings reflects. How do the prognosticators feel about Pittsburgh's chances against the Titans, who've won three straight games to improve to 3-1? Let's take a look.
SB Nation Chicago: Tim Sieck says this game is "tough to pick" without knowing more about Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's health; though Big Ben is expected to play, he's nursing a sprained foot. Nonetheless, Sieck picks Pittsburgh to "win a close one" thanks to its home-field advantage.
CBSSports.com: Pete Prisco, Clark Judge, Mike Freeman, and Dave Richard all believe the Steelers will fend off the Titans. Will Brinson is the lone CBS expert to pick the visitors.
FOX Sports: Peter Schrager leads his preview with some distressing Steelers facts:
the big, bad Pittsburgh Steelers are averaging just 93.8 rushing yards, while allowing opponents to average 119.5 yards on the ground. Perhaps more alarming is the fact that Dick LeBeau’s defense has just one takeaway through four games. The defense looks old, the offensive line looks shoddy, and the quarterback’s nursing injuries.
... and then he picks the Steelers to win anyway, joining Sieck in letting the venue being the deciding factor.
Six of seven experts surveyed agree: Pittsburgh is primed to take a step forward this week.