Titans’ Missed Kick Keeps Steelers Unbeaten

Tennessee kicker Stephen Gostkowski is more accurate from far distances. He had made all five field-goal attempts of at least 50 yards this season. But he had missed five of 10 from 49 yards or closer, including two last week against Houston and three in the Titans’ season opener at Denver. The attempt on Sunday, with 19 seconds remaining, was from 45 yards, and the result was predictable.

The loss does not remove the sheen from the Titans’ strong start, nor does it dismiss their standing within a demanding A.F.C., where Baltimore, Kansas City and Buffalo also lurk.

Over the coming weeks and months, that knot of competitive teams will no doubt untangle, but whether Tennessee contends for the conference’s top seed — and the only first-round bye in the playoffs — and not just an A.F.C. South title depends in part on whether its defense can solve its third-down troubles. The Titans entered the game as the worst third-down defense in the league, allowing conversions on 57.8 percent of chances, yet somehow fared worse Sunday: Pittsburgh was 13 of 18.

“We’re not starting fast enough on defense,” Titans safety Kevin Byard said. “It’s kind of like we’re expecting the offense to always dig us out of a hole.”

In that sense, the Steelers are the more complete team, with pass-rushing book ends, a stout secondary and an offense that saw 10 players — including Diontae Johnson, who caught nine passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns — touch the ball. That they won despite a minus-3 turnover margin seemed to vex Tomlin, but seven weeks into the season, no other team in the conference had weathered challenges — injuries and attrition and adhering to coronavirus protocols and, on Sunday, a formidable comeback from a formidable team — better than it had.

After it was over Sunday, after improving to 6-0 for the first time since 1978, the Steelers, who play at Baltimore next week, received not a shimmering trophy or commemorative apparel or a Gatorade bath, but rather a reward that’s less tangible. They briefly savored the satisfaction that accompanied an accomplishment that would mean far, far more in January or February.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/25/sports/football/steelers-vs-titans-score-nfl.html