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Tuesday, October 30, 2001

The Tennessee Titans knew what they had to do. They knew they had no margin for error. They were playing for their playoff life. Another defeat would be their fourth. Four losses before the end of October does not equate to a playoff berth.

With so much at stake, the Titans made it simple. They would not go the way of the Steelers' four previous opponents. They would not allow Jerome Bettis to beat them.

If they were to lose, they would force Kordell Stewart, the Steelers' much-maligned quarterback, to beat them.

That was their biggest mistake.

Stewart was ready for the challenge presented him last night and delivered superbly as the Steelers routed the fading Titans, 34-7, before a pumped-up crowd of 63,763 at Heinz Field.

The Titans' strategy worked -- to a point. They held Bettis, who had four consecutive 100-yard games, to 62 yards. That forced Stewart to the front and the Titans couldn't stop him. Stewart completed 13 of 22 passes for 232 yards. He passed for one touchdown and did not throw an interception.

When Bettis had early success -- 22 yards on his first three carries -- the Titans knew that couldn't continue. They crowded the line of scrimmage even more. Soon, Bettis became a nonfactor.

Asked to deliver, Stewart did.

Relying on the pass -- not the run -- Stewart, for the first time this season, was the offensive player most responsible for a Steelers victory.

"He's playing with a lot of confidence," said wide receiver Hines Ward. "When Plaxico [Burress] made a couple of plays, he kept going to him. That's what you're supposed to do."

Safety Lee Flowers said: "We knew they could pass the ball. We see them in practice every day. But they had to prove it against a different colored jersey. They came out today."

What a win it was for the Steelers. It was their fifth in a row and kept them one game in front of second-place Cleveland and two games ahead of Super Bowl champion Baltimore in the Central Division.

Just six games into the season, the Steelers have gone from a team hoping to make the playoffs to one expecting to make the playoffs to one that can legitimately call itself a Super Bowl contender.

As crazy as that might sound, it makes sense. Six games doesn't make a season, but it's enough time to know the Steelers can compete with every team on their schedule.

They showed against the Titans that although defense might be their strength, their offense also can be successful. They had 405 total yards.

Maybe it was a long-awaited coming of age for Stewart. Maybe it was a one-game fluke. But in this win against the Titans, Stewart showed he can be a quarterback who is more than just along for the ride.

He had to share the stage with Burress, who had a career game, catching six passes for 151 yards.

The Steelers scored on their first possession, a textbook 78-yard, 10-play drive. Stewart passed 21 yards to Mark Bruener, 11 yards to Burress, 3 yards to Burress and 9 yards to Bruener. His throws were consistently on target and an indication of what was to come.

After a spectacular one-handed interception by Brent Alexander in the second quarter, Stewart took charge.

On third and 12 from the Tennessee 22, he threw nicely to Bobby Shaw near the sideline for a 19-yard gain.

From the 3, Stewart rolled right and ran into trouble. Linebacker Randall Godfrey had Stewart's legs and was ready to drag him down. But as Stewart was falling, he found Ward in the end zone and threw perfectly to him for the touchdown to give the Steelers a 14-7 lead.

They Steelers poured it on in the second half as Stewart and Burress dominated play.

A 43-yard pass from Stewart to Burress set up an early third-quarter score. On this play, it was Burress who deserved most of the credit. He ripped the ball away from Samari Rolle, who looked as if he might have an interception, and snagged it in midair to put the ball on the Titans' 7. Bettis scored on the next play.

Still later, Stewart passed 28 yards to Burress to the Titans' 2. Stewart ran for the score on the next play.

With this win and a 5-1 record, the Steelers are making the rest of the NFL take notice of them and their quarterback.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.