Steelers, Titans ready for a test

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, TENN.

Jeff Fisher had barely started talking about his season-opening win over Oakland when he set the tone for Tennessee’s upcoming opponent.

“Now it’s officially Steelers’ Week,” Fisher said.

For teams that haven’t been division rivals since 2001 in the old AFC Central, emotions certainly rise when they play. Today’s game will be the 73rd between Pittsburgh (1-0) and Tennessee (1-0), the most against one opponent for the old Houston Oilers.

Consider this a good playoff gauge for both clubs because there have only been three NFL postseasons since 1985 without at least one of them in the playoffs.

“It’s probably more of a measuring stick because they are perennially a good, competitive football team,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said. “It’s kind of a window to how you stack up against the best in the AFC.”

Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward believes not being in the same division has eased the importance of this series but not the intensity.

“It’s still a heated rivalry. Every time you come out of that game black and blue,” Ward said.

These franchises have much more in common than just a shared divisional history. Both love to run the ball and rank No. 2 (Pittsburgh) and No. 3 (Tennessee) in rushing yards per game since 1995 in Fisher’s first full season coaching his team. There’s also coaching stability and stingy, hard-hitting defense too.

“It’s always a challenge,” Fisher said. “It’s such a first-class organization and such a ... fan base and following. They’re always very well coached and very physical.”

Pittsburgh leads the series overall 42-30, but the Steelers haven’t won at LP Field since Nov. 25, 2001.

They’ve split the past two games with the Titans winning 31-14 in Nashville on Dec. 21, 2008 — the Steelers’ last loss before winning the Super Bowl in a game Pittsburgh fans remember for some Titans stomping on their treasured Terrible Towels.

Pittsburgh pulled out a 13-10 overtime win at home — the first of six straight losses for the Titans to open 2009.

Titans safety Chris Hope, who played his first four years in Pittsburgh, said the only lesson needed is watching the Steelers on tape. Tennessee’s seven rookies? Well, Hope said who in the world hasn’t seen the Steelers play?

“They have big-name guys like [Troy] Polamalu and Hines Ward and [Ben] Roethlisberger. It’s not like this is their first time seeing those guys play,” Hope said.

The Titans won’t see Roethlisberger, who will be sitting out the second of his four-game suspension. Tomlin said Dennis Dixon, who made his second career start in last week’s 15-9 overtime win over Atlanta, will start against a Titans’ defense that had four sacks, three batted passes and two turnovers in Tennessee’s 38-13 rout of Oakland.

Dixon gets help from Rashard Mendenhall, the running back taken a spot before Tennessee’s Chris Johnson in the 2008 draft. Mendenhall pulled out that win over Atlanta with his 50-yard touchdown run in overtime.