Steelers early 2021 regular-season preview: Weeks 15-16
Throughout the last few weeks, we’ve looked at the upcoming Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 NFL regular season by previewing their opponents, looking at additions those teams made during free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft, as well as other key factors that could play a part in how the games may play out. Weeks 15 and 16 will see the Steelers hosting the Tennessee Titans and traveling to visit the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Related: Weeks 1-2 preview | Weeks 3-4 preview | Weeks 5-6 preview | Weeks 7-8 preview | Weeks 9-10 preview | Weeks 11-12 preview | Weeks 13-14 preview
- Steelers printable 2021-22 schedule
Week 15: Steelers vs Titans
The Steelers and Titans went head to head in Nashville last season in October. Receiver Diontae Johnson had a big day, grabbing two touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger and making nine receptions for 80 yards. Running back Benny Snell Jr. earned a rushing touchdown. Facing Ryan Tannehill, the Steelers defense keyed in on stopping Derrick Henry from power-running down their throats and limited the rusher to just 75 yards on 20 carries despite his lone diving touchdown into the end zone for a yard late in the fourth quarter as time ran out. Vince Williams and T.J. Watt both logged one sack apiece. Terrell Edmunds and Cameron Sutton both had two pass breakups. The Steelers won, 27-24.
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel has led his team to the playoffs, and Tennessee was able to take their first AFC South division title since 2008 last year. Henry, who led the NFL in rushing for his second consecutive season was a force to be reckoned with. Tannehill threw for a career-high 33 passing touchdowns and helped the offense to tie for No. 2 in the league for total offense and take the No. 4 spot in scoring offense.
During the off-season, Tennessee lost receiver Corey Davis (New York Jets) and tight end Jonnu Smith (New England Patriots). Isaiah Wilson, a first-round pick in 2020, had a horrible season and is, at the time of this article, not assigned to a team in the NFL. Vrabel and company did snag former Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree with the hopes that he can boost a defense that was among the bottom of the league. Finding key pieces to help the team remain trending up during the 2021 NFL Draft was key. Here are the players the Titans selected:
- No. 22 – Caleb Farley (CB, Virginia Tech)
- No. 53 – Dillon Radunz (OT, North Dakota State)
- No. 92 – Monty Rice (LB, Georgia)
- No. 100 – Elijah Molden (CB, Washington)
- No. 135 – Rashad Weaver (DE, Pittsburgh)
- No. 205 – Racey McMath (WR, LSU)
- No. 215 – Brady Breeze (S, Oregon)
The impetus was placed on creating a more effective defense, although many Titans fans were hoping their team would pull the trigger on a top receiver to give Tannehill targets on offense. With the picks they had, however, general manager Jon Robinson made good on his statements about finding a way to get the Titans defense out of the basement.
Early prediction: The Steelers will once again have to keep Tannehill and Henry bottled up. They may have won a close on last season but 2021’s matchup may be a real nailbiter.
Week 16: Steelers at Chiefs
The last time the Steelers and Chiefs faced each other was during the preseason in 2019. Their last NFL regular-season game was in Week 2 of 2018. The game turned into a bit of a shoot-out between Patrick Mahomes and Roethlisberger. The Chiefs scored three touchdowns in just the first quarter, with Mahomes finding Chris Conley, Travis Kelce, and Kareem Hunt open to score. The Steelers answered in the second quarter with Roethlisberger tossing three touchdown passes; Jesse James, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and James Washington all scored on those plays. James Conner and Roethlisberger both scored on rushing plays but Mahomes kept the Kansas City offense humming. Artie Burns earned a safety in the game but the final score was 42-37 in favor of the Chiefs.
The Chiefs made it to the Super Bowl once again in 2020 but lost, 31-9, to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the offseason, Mahomes had foot surgery and Kansas City released Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwarts, Damien Williams, and sent their first-, third-, and fourth-round picks this year plus a 2002 fifth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in order to acquire Orlando Brown Jr., grab a second-round pick in 2021 and a 2022 sixth-round pick. Demarcus Robinson was re-signed to a one-year deal, Joe Thuney signed a five-year deal, and Kyle Long came out of retirement on a one-year deal. Here are the players they selected in the 2021 NFL Draft:
- No. 58 – Nick Bolton (LB, Missouri)
- No. 63 – Creed Humphrey (C, Oklahoma)
- No. 144 (compensatory) – Joshua Kaindoh (DE, Florida State)
- No. 162 – Noah Gray (TE, Duke)
- No. 181 (compensatory) – Cornell Powell (WR, Clemson)
- No. 226 – Trey Smith (G, Tennessee)
Andy Reid is on the top of his coaching game and still has full confidence in Mahomes at quarterback. They will be heavy favorites for postseason play again in 2021.
Early prediction: This is one game that could easily get out of hand for the Steelers and will be a real challenge. The Chiefs look to be on pace to win this one unless Pittsburgh can keep things tight on both sides of the ball.
