NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Titans had grown so used to rallying late to win games, which is what they did four times in their 5-0 start this season, they expected to do just that once again Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Then Stephen Gostkowski's 45-yard field-goal attempt in a bid to force overtime slipped wide right, providing a painful reminder that comeback magic doesn't always happen.
In a matchup of the AFC's remaining undefeated teams, the Steelers made Tennessee pay for its reliance on late-game theatrics by holding on for a 27-24 win in a game pushed back three weeks as a result of the Titans' COVID-19 outbreak.
"That's the story of the Titans right now," cornerback Kevin Byard said. "We're not starting fast enough on defense. It's kind of like we're anticipating or expecting the offense to always dig us out of a hole, and that can't be the mentality. That can't be the mentality going forward."
Pittsburgh (6-0) converted its first seven third downs of the game, chewing through the Tennessee defense that was ranked last in the NFL in that category entering Week 7. The Titans (5-1) allowed the Steelers to convert 13 of 18 third downs in the game, and Pittsburgh scored on five of its first six drives.
Tennessee's offense provided little help, either, despite being No. 2 in both total offense and points scored entering the game. The Titans hadn't scored fewer than 31 points since rallying for a 16-14 road win against the Denver Broncos to open the season.
They opened this game with a three-and-out possession and had three other such series. They also turned the ball over on downs late in the first half when a bad snap resulted in an incomplete pass by punter Brett Kern. At one point, Pittsburgh had a 161-1 edge in total offensive yards as the Titans struggled with too many penalties and mistakes.
"We have to be cleaner earlier in the game," Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill said.
Derrick Henry, the league-leading rusher entering Week 7, was held to 75 yards on 20 carries, though he did key Tennessee's final scoring drive and finished it with a 1-yard run to the end zone with 10:13 to play. Henry said the heart of the Titans can't be questioned when they fight back.
"We knew that wasn't us in the first half, the type of game we played," Henry said. "It was time for us to battle back and see what kind of resiliency we have and what type of team we are. I thought we gave ourselves a great chance at the end."
The Steelers led 24-7 at halftime and added a field goal on their first possession of the third quarter.
That's when Tennessee finally showed signs of life. Tannehill found A.J. Brown across the middle, and the second-year receiver outran defenders for a 73-yard touchdown.
"We're just trying to win," said Brown, who had six catches for 153 yards. "That's our mindset, and today we fell short, but it was a play away. That's a good team, and you can't spot a good team (20) points and expect to win. I think we're OK."
The Titans came up with three interceptions, the last with 2:35 left by Amani Hooker in the end zone.
Tannehill was driving the Titans downfield when he was flagged for intentional grounding on first-and-10 at the Pittsburgh 25. Tannehill, who finished 18-of-30 passing for 220 yards with two touchdowns, said he was trying to throw over the head of Titans receiver Corey Davis to avoid being sacked by Cam Heyward.
He couldn't connect with Davis on the next two plays, and coach Mike Vrabel sent Gostkowski out to try to tie it up with 19 seconds on the clock. Gostkowski, the former New England Patriots star in his first season in Nashville, had made a 51-yarder late in the third quarter.
"It's unfortunate," Vrabel said. "I fully expected him to make it, he expected to make it, and it didn't turn out that way. We all have a lot to improve on."
The Steelers improved to their best start since 1978, when they won their first seven on the way to the Super Bowl. This was just the fifth time undefeated teams had met in Week 7 or later of an NFL season, and the winner of the previous four such meetings all made the Super Bowl.
"We feel we have a really good football team," said Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw all three interceptions but also had two touchdown passes to Diontae Johnson as he finished 32-of-49 for 268 yards. "We feel we can be really special."
Gostkowski had won the first three games this season for Tennessee with late field goals. He said the kick was headed down the middle until it faded right late.
"Just very disappointed to let the team down like that," Gostkowski said. "I was confident going out there but didn't get it done."
It wasn't the only bad news of the day for the Titans. The NFL has fined them $350,000 for violating COVID-19 protocol, a person familiar with the discipline told The Associated Press.
The Titans had 24 people in their organization, including 13 players, test positive from Sept. 24 to Oct. 11 in the league's first COVID-19 outbreak during the regular season, a development that forced the NFL to make schedule changes.
In the wake of the outbreak, the league and the players' union sent officials, including infectious disease experts, to Nashville, where they reviewed video and interviewed players, coaches and other personnel.
The NFL found the Titans failed to wear masks at all times and were "insufficiently clear" to players about not meeting or working out once the facility closed. That kept the loss of draft picks or a forfeit out of the possible punishments, but it led to the fine, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the NFL nor the Titans have commented on league discipline connected with the outbreak.