Steelers open with win
Jeff Reed kicked a 33-yard field goal with 4:32 gone in overtime and the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers again relied on Ben Roethlisberger’s ability to lead clutch scoring drives to beat the Tennessee Titans 13-10 in the NFL season opener Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers, their running game stuffed by Tennessee’s defense, didn’t get going until Roethlisberger began repeatedly finding Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward open downfield. Roethlisberger went 33 of 43 for 363 yards, with Holmes – the Super Bowl star – making nine catches for 131 yards and Ward, despite a potentially costly fumble, making eight for 107.
The Titans lost the coin toss to start the overtime and, as so often happens, never saw the ball again. Roethlisberger, who also led a touchdown drive at the end of the first half, hit Ward for 11, Holmes for 11 and rookie Mike Wallace for 22. Unwilling to risk a turnover, the Steelers kicked the field goal on first down to win it.
Steelers All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee late in the first half. Coach Mike Tomlin said the injury usually sidelines a player from three to six weeks.
Jets GM admits Favre injury mishandled
New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum admitted the team should have disclosed Brett Favre’s torn biceps tendon on mandatory weekly injury reports over the final third of last season.
Favre, now with the Minnesota Vikings, said earlier this week he thought he was hurting the Jets because of the injury and discussed it with the coaches and the front office. He said he would have been willing to sit out, even though that would have ended his streak of consecutive starts, which now stands at 269 games.
Tannenbaum said he should have listed the quarterback as “probable,” but didn’t because the injury was not severe enough to require daily treatment and there was never any doubt Favre would play.
Quick kicks
Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin briefly tested his sore hamstring, and then watched the rest of practice. … The Oakland Raiders re-signed defensive tackle William Joseph while Richard Seymour remained a no-show four days before the team’s season opener. … Second-year cornerback Terrell Thomas will start for the New York Giants on Sunday against the Washington Redskins because of a hamstring injury to Kevin Dockery. … The Vikings released seven-year veteran receiver Bobby Wade and signed free agent Greg Lewis instead.