Stefan Logan of the Pittsburgh Steelers returns the season-opening kickoff past Tennessee Titans defender Craig Stevens on Thursday. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)

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.

The Steelers, their running game stuffed by Tennessee's defence, 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.

"It's nice to know we can win close games," Reed said. "This is my eighth year here and I've been in a lot of close games, and we usually are on the up side of those."

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 yards, 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.

Ward stripped in red zone

Pittsburgh looked ready to win it late in regulation when Roethlisberger, so adept at running the two-minute offence, took advantage of good field position created by a shanked Craig Hentrich punt to find Ward on a 30-yard completion to the Titans four. But as Ward was trying to muscle his way closer to the goal line, Michael Griffin stripped the ball and Stephen Tulloch recovered with less than a minute remaining.

Even with no running game to support him, Roethlisberger had one of the biggest games of his career. Tennessee's Kerry Collins, usually the caretaker of a run-first offence, was 22 of 35 for 244 yards after having only four games of 200 yards or more last season.

The Titans never led until Rob Bironas, who had missed twice from inside the 40, connected from 45 yards with 11:03 remaining after Collins kept the drive moving with 15-yard completions to rookie Kenny Britt and Justin Gage.

"We had chances and opportunities but missed a field goal, had a field goal blocked," coach Jeff Fisher said. "I believe we've got a good football team in that locker room and we're going to bounce back."

The Steelers tied it on Jeff Reed's 32-yarder with 2:57 to go, but only after Mewelde Moore was held to one yard on two plays. Reed, under pressure, barely got off a low line drive that squeezed through the uprights.

Roethlisberger was 7 of 7 for 57 yards on the drive but the Steelers' game-long lack of a running game again caused a drive to stall after they had a second-and-2 at the 10.

The Titans were the last team to beat the Steelers, winning 31-17 on Dec. 21 to gain home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, but they never won again and the Steelers never lost again. Still, Steelers' fans remembered how LenDale White, Keith Bulluck and several Titans players stomped all over Terrible Towels at the end of the game, and it created a buzz of anticipation for a rematch that appeared likely to occur in January but didn't.

The Titans spent the first quarter tromping on a Steelers offence that managed all of one yard. Then, after Bironas' 31-yarder was blocked by Aaron Smith — he missed earlier from the 27 following a bad snap — both teams suddenly found their offences.

"I got my hand up," Smith said. "I jumped and my vertical is probably not that good, but …"

Roethlisberger needed only five plays to lead a 79-yard drive in which he found familiar target Ward for 29 yards ahead of his 34-yard touchdown throw to Holmes.

Yes, those two again.

After finally gaining some of the momentum that Tennessee held most of the half, the Steelers gave it right back.

With the Steelers defence missing both safety Troy Polamalu (knee), who had earlier made a remarkable, one-handed interception, linebacker LaMarr Woodley (leg cramps), the Titans needed only three plays to tie it. Collins found Britt with no defender within 10 yards on him for a 57-yard completion to the 14. Collins then hit an equally wide open Justin Gage in the end zone with 48 seconds left in the half.

Titans Pro Bowl cornerback Cortland Finnegan ended the half with an 80-yard interception return to the Steelers' 20. Roethlisberger threw two interceptions in the half after throwing none — and eight touchdowns — while winning his first three season openers.