Playoffs of the 2000s: Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee

A few weeks ago, JJ Cooper did an excellent job of examining the decade-long NFL results, listing each team's win-loss records in an accessible standings format. In this series, we're going to take those results one step further, pitting those franchises against one another in our Playoffs of the 2000s.

Over the next 11 days, we'll analyze each team's playoff performance from the 2000-2009 seasons, meaning this year's playoffs are included in the discussion. We'll have these teams battle for the title, though unless you've been hiding under a rock during the last 10 years, you probably know who will come out on top. As is so often the case though, the journey is more important than the end.

We'll examine the AFC No. 3 seed Pittsburgh Steelers versus the AFC No. 6 seed Tennessee Titans.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are one of two teams to win multiple Super Bowls last decade, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 as the No. 6 seed on February 5, 2006 and edging the Arizona Cardinals last year as the No. 2 seed. They reached the playoffs six times and played three times in the Wild Card round, winning two of those games. At home this decade, they are 5-3.

Pittsburgh was led to both those Super Bowl victories by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, with the first coming in his second professional season. With Roethlisberger at the helm, the Steelers have transitioned into a pass-first team, with two Pittsburgh receivers winning the MVP trophy for those two Super Bowl wins. Earlier in the decade, the Steelers relied more on the run, with Jerome Bettis playing the central role in the offense. Quarterback Tommy Maddox did play a critical role in one Wild Card win, bringing the team back from a 24-7 deficit to win a 2003 game against the Browns by a score of 36-33. Bill Cowher spent most of the decade as the team's head coach, with Mike Tomlin filling the role after Cowher's retirement at the end of the 2006 season.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans made five trips to the playoffs in the 2000s, making one trip to the AFC Championship game (a loss to the Raiders in 2003). They've played twice in the wild card round, winning one game and losing one game. On the road in the playoffs, they are 1-3.

The early Titans teams of the era were led by the late Steve McNair, who quarterbacked the Titans to their one Wild Card-round win, a 20-17 victory in Baltimore. Eddie George also played a big role on those Tennessee teams from earlier in the decade. The more recent Titans teams have benefited from the explosive play of Chris Johnson and the ability of Vince Young. Kerry Collins also spent time at quarterback for the Titans, including in 2008 when they secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC but lost to Baltimore in their first playoff game that season. Coach Jeff Fisher has been the team's head coach for the entire decade.

The Game

These two teams have met once in the playoffs during the 2000s, a thrilling overtime win for the TItans in 2003. The Titans were the beneficiary of a ticky-tack running into the kicker call in overtime on a missed field goal by Joe Nedney. Nedney nailed the game-winning field goal after the call. That game took place in Tennessee, but this hypothetical game occurs in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers' most recent Wild Card game was also at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In that game, Pittsburgh fell behind quickly, entering the fourth quarter down 28-10. Pittsburgh scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, missing a two-point attempt on the second and third scores. With a 29-28 lead, David Garrard took off for a 32-yard gain on fourth-and-two. That put the ball deep into Steeler territory, and Josh Scobee kicked the game winner. Couldn't you see Vince Young pull a stunt like that?

The Titans' most recent Wild Card appearance was that same season ... with Young at the helm. They traveled to San Diego and battled in a defensive game, which is what the Steelers-Titans matchup would likely entail. After maintaining a 6-0 lead over San Diego at halftime, Tennessee surrendered 17 unanswered points in the second half. A Steve McNair-led Titans team would likely fare better, but his group barely took down the Anthony Wright-quarterbacked Ravens in 2004.

With the Steelers having an edge over the Titans in the Wild Card round, and with Pittsburgh's home record being much better than Tennessee's road record, the Steelers have a better body of work than the Titans on every level. Take all the Tennessee playoff teams and send them to Pittsburgh to play all the Steelers' playoff teams, and Pittsburgh would probably win a majority of the time. I consider that 2003 game one of the outliers, and we'll award the Steelers with a thrilling 28-27 win in our first game.

Bonus points if you can name the three Steelers that scored more than one playoff touchdown in last season's title run. We'll have the answer for you tomorrow.

As the No. 3 seed, the Steelers will match up against the AFC No. 2 seed New England Patriots in Round 2.