NFL Pick ‘Em: Thursday, September 10th, 2009

With the 2009 season comes numerous new features here at Dawg Pound Daily.  This weekly feature will be called “NFL Pick ‘Em” and will be just that: I will be attempting to the pick the winner of every NFL game over the course of the season.

The first game of the year, between the defending-champion Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans kicks off the NFL Pick ‘Em for DPD.

Titans @ Steelers – I have to give the advantage here to the Steelers, mainly for the reason that the game is in Pittsburgh, the Lombardi Trophy will be rolled out in style, and the Heinz Field crowd always gives the Steelers a boost.  Not to mention there is a hint of revenge in the air for Pittsburgh, as the Titans were the last team to beat the Steelers.  The Titans just happened to celebrate that particular win by stomping on some Terrible Towels on the sideline, and I can guess that that probably didn’t sit well in the Steel City.

This is no doubt going to be a physical game dominated by two very good running games (well, the Steelers have one when they are healthy) and two spectacular defenses, but the nod here goes to Pittsburgh.  The Steelers enter the season primed for a return to the Super Bowl while the Titans have to cope with life without Albert Haynesworth.  That alone should give the Steelers the nod in the first game of the 2009 season.

Prediction: Steelers 24, Titans 16