NFL Pittsburgh SteelersTennessee Titans

Zach Mettenberger Stands Tall for Tennessee Titans Against Pittsburgh Steelers

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Zach Mettenberger delivered a statement game on Monday Night Football by leading the 2-7 Tennessee Titans in an impressive battle against the 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. In only his fourth start in replacement of oft-injured Jake Locker, and ineffective Charlie Whitehurst, Mettenberger stood tall in the battle of the burgers — outplaying Ben Roethlisberger early on to make this a competitive game well into the second half.

Despite the loss, the story was not how the Steelers held on to beat a lesser opponent, it was the impressive play of Mettenberger. Titan fans have endured a quarterback carousel for years, but more performances like this will go a long way towards ending that pattern.

Of course, Mettenberger did not act alone, he simply took advantage of the opportunities afforded him by the Titans’ tenacious pass rush. Coming into the game, it was assumed that the Steelers’ pass rush would pressure the rookie quarterback for the Titans — which certainly looked like it would be the case when Mettenberger’s first pass of the night was picked off and returned for a touchdown by William Gay.

What happened after that terrible start, leading to a 10-0 Steelers lead, would turn into the story of the night. It was the Titans defense that harassed Roethlisberger all night, resulting in five sacks and pressure that forced multiple bad throws and costly interceptions. On the other side of the ball, it was Mettenberger who looked more like Roethlisberger, as he continually stood tall in the pocket amidst the barrage of blitz packages sent by the Steelers.

The play of the night came with less than one minute left in the first half when a double move by receiver Nate Washington, and a perfect throw by Mettenberger, resulted in an easy 80-yard touchdown that put the Titans up 17-13 at half.

Mettenberger was equally impressive in the third quarter, delivering a perfectly positioned jump ball in the end zone for tight end Chase Coffman on third and goal, putting the Titans up 24-13.

Although the Steelers’ running game eventually proved too much for the Tennessee defense, it was Mettenberger who was the story of the night, with the Titans’ pass rush coming in a close second. Without much to play for in 2014, the Titans showed signs of something to play for in the future. Mettenberger is definitely someone to keep an eye on the rest of this season.

Paul Kakert is an NFL and Chicago Bears writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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