Roethlisberger, Collins trade TD passes late in half; Steelers, Titans tied at 7 at half

Steelers, Titans tied 7-7 at half

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger and Kerry Collins threw touchdown passes 34 seconds apart during the final 1:22 of the first half and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans were tied at 7 at halftime in the NFL’s opening night Thursday.

Roethlisberger threw a 34-yard pass to Santonio Holmes with 1:22 left in the half and Collins capped a three-play drive 34 seconds later with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Justin Gage.

The Tennessee touchdown was set up by a 57-yard reception by Kenny Britt.

Pittsburgh had only 54 yards of offense until its scoring drive late in the half, which went 79 yards and was capped when Roethlisberger hit Holmes open in the middle of the end zone.

The Steelers have only 12 rushing yards; Willie Parker has eight carries for 9 yards and Rashard Mendenhall 3 yards on two carries.

The Steelers are 1 for 7 on third-down conversions and allowed Tennessee to sack Ben Roethlisberger three times and intercept him twice — once on a Hail Mary with no time remaining in the half, which Cortland Finnegan returned 80 yards.

Pittsburgh committed five penalties for 55 yards.

The Titans gained 208 yards and were in Steelers’ territory during each of their final five possessions of the half, but did not score until 48 seconds were left.

Rob Bironas missed a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter and had a 31-yard attempt blocked by Aaron Smith in the second quarter, and Steelers safety Troy Polamalu intercepted Collins late in the first quarter.

During a play that originated at the Steelers 44, Polamalu made a one-handed interception on a pass intended for Britt at the 5.

Polamalu, who led all players with six tackles, left the game late in the half with a knee injury and his return is questionable.

Collins was 13 for 21 for 174 yards. The Titans got a 32-yard run from Chris Johnson in the first quarter but have managed only 12 yards rushing other than that.

The Steelers are starting their quest for their third Super Bowl title in the past five seasons and record seventh overall.

The Titans beat the Steelers 31-14 late last season and took the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs, but lost their first playoff game.

On their second possession, the Steelers drove to the Tennessee 22 but Jason Jones sacked a scrambling Roethlisberger for a 19-yard loss to move them out of field goal range.

Roethlisberger’s third completion was the 1,192th of his career, moving him into second place on the team’s career list ahead of Kordell Stewart. He also surpassed 15,000 yards passing.