Welcome in to the Titans Rewind here on the SoBros Patreon! Here, I’ll be reliving some of my favorite or most memorable Tennessee Titans games over the course of my fanhood. Highs, lows, and everything in between – Titan up!
Titans Rewind: 12/21/08, vs. Steelers
A lot of folks, myself included, started buying in on the 2020 Tennessee Titans as a legitimate Super Bowl contender after seeing them get off to a 5-0 start and rank at the top of the AFC. It reminded us all of the last time we felt like we had a legitimate Super Bowl contender here in Nashville. It’s been a long time, but that team was most definitely the 2008 team.
With a roster that was absolutely loaded with defensive talent, and a ground game that featured Chris Johnson and LenDale White (the heyday of “Smash n’ Dash”) mowing down defenses, the Titans jumped out to a 10-0 start that year. They won those first 10 games by an average of 11.4 points. Just downright dominant.
It had the city rocking. It had analysts picking the Titans to go to (and maybe even win) the Super Bowl. It was the only time in between the early 2000s Titans that were built on Steve McNair and Eddie George and the 2020 Titans that I can remember firmly believing “our” team had a chance to win a championship.
The Titans got rocked by the New York Jets – which sounds laughable in 2020, but at the time, the Jets were solid. They’d eventually get to the AFC Championship two seasons in a row (2009, 2010). They had another inexplicable 13-12 loss to the Houston Texans. Then, it was time for a big time showdown with the heavyweight Pittsburgh Steelers. So, the Titans entered that game at 12-2. The Steelers entered at 11-3. It was a battle that would determine the #1 seed in the AFC in the playoffs.
In all of the years since, I can’t recall another regular season Titans game that had such massive implications. Sure, there have been a few “win and you’re in” games in Week 17. But, nothing like this. I mean, both of these teams were evenly matched on paper, and winning this game, might’ve meant HOSTING the AFC Championship.
The first quarter ended in a tie with both teams scoreless. Again, seems incomprehensible in 2020. But, it happened. We went into the half with the Titans up 10-7. It was as tense as tense could get. The Steelers came out in the third quarter and took the lead, going up 14-10.
From there, though, it was all Titans – the Titans would score 21 unanswered to close out the game and win 31-14 in dominating fashion. I mean, it was a statement. Here was a team that had just lost to the Texans….didn’t even score a touchdown against the Texans….starting to face questions about whether or not they were legit championship contenders, and they responded JUST as you’d expect a champion to respond.
I don’t know what it was that came over the team, but this is the game that saw several Titans famously stomping on the Terrible Towels. I don’t know that I necessarily believe in curses, but I will point out that the Titans went on a seven-game losing streak following this game. Since 2008, the Titans have gone 2-5 against the Steelers, including last week’s 27-24 loss.
The Titans clinched homefield advantage in that game, but it didn’t do them any good. The Baltimore Ravens came in and – I don’t care how poorly this reflects on me, I still believe it – made a concerted effort to injure Chris Johnson and take him out of the game. It worked, and thanks in part to a critical Alge Crumpler drop, the Ravens won a close one. Looking back, that Steelers win really was the defining victory of the best Titans team of maybe the last 16 years.
The Steelers wouldn’t lose another game all season. They met the Ravens in that AFC Championship, and handled them before going on to defeat the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl, a game that was one of the most entertaining
Maybe they can thank Keith Bulluck and LenDale White for that Super Bowl – creating all that bad karma for the Steelers to capitalize on.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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