Steelers-Raiders Preview: Bitter Rivals Round Two

In week five of the NFL season last Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers met an old rival in the Dallas Cowboys and in Pittsburgh lost by three. After three Super Bowl matchups and a handful of regular season games, America’s Team got the better of the Black and Gold for at least one evening.

Now with two straight losses, the Steelers travel west to meet up with is probably even a bigger rival than that of the Cowboys. Back in the 1970s the Steelers and Oakland Raiders butted heads numerous times often in heated battles what sometimes got ugly but were always violent in nature in the manner of hitting and tackling.

One such incident came when on a Pittsburgh running play with Franco Harris, Oakland defensive back George Atkinson for no reason hit wide receiver Lynn Swann with a forearm to the helmet as Swann was nowhere near the play. The result was a concussion and then head coach Chuck Noll was so angry about it, he wanted to press criminal charges against the Raiders’ defensive back.

That was the nature of this rivalry and if not for the Steelers winning four Super Bowls in six years, the Oakland Raiders probably would have won as many. Each team stood in each other’s way of reaching title games. You could probably say the rivalry started with the “Immaculate Reception” the infamous play by Franco Harris that knocked the Raiders out of the playoffs in 1972 and sent the Steelers to their first ever AFC title game.

The original owner of the Raiders was Al Davis. His son now runs the team. While the Pittsburgh Steelers have stayed in the Steel City since its inception in 1933, the Raiders began in Oakland, moved to Los Angeles, went back to Oakland, and now find themselves in “Sin City” Las Vegas. As the Steelers head into Nevada for the second straight season, several key Pittsburgh players have already been ruled out due to injuries.

DeMarvin Leal will not play on Sunday with a neck injury. Damontae Kazee is doubtful as he injured his ankle in the Dallas game. Jaylen Warren is still trying to recover from a knee injury and is listed as doubtful. Cordarrelle Patterson is out. Both Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith are out. Herbig with a hamstring and Highsmith is suffering from a groin injury. 

As for Las Vegas, the controversial Davante Adams is questionable and not because he has requested a trade, instead he has a hamstring strain. The Steelers are one team that Adams reportedly has on his list of possible destinations. There are handful of questionable players on the Raiders but no players that have been ruled out.

As for history, of course there is that infamous 1972 game where Franco Harris became an instant hero as a rookie. The Raiders have argued over the play ever since saying it was illegal because they believed Frenchy Fuqua touched the ball first before Franco did and in that era that would have been an illegal play. Fuqua to this day won’t say who touched it first either himself or the Raider that hit him, Jack Tatum.

It was two years earlier in 1970 that these two teams played for the first time and the Steelers lost that one in Oakland 31-14. Since that time there have been 31 more games including the playoffs and the Raiders have won 16 of those 31. These two teams have split the six post season games. The most points the Raiders scored in a single game against Pittsburgh came on October 20, 1980, when they beat the Steelers 45-34.

Pittsburgh’s highest score was 38, which came just nine years ago in 2015 when they won at home 38-35. In the 32 games played there was just one shutout. That was by the Raiders 17-0 on September 29, 1974. The last meeting was on September 24, 2023, when the Steelers beat Las Vegas 23-18 out west. Las Vegas and Pittsburgh have met three straight years, and this Sunday will make it four.

The Steelers won two of the previous three. The longest winning or losing streak in this series came in the 1970s when Oakland defeated the Steelers six straight times from September 12, 1976, until the Steelers finally snapped out of the snide with a 13-7 victory in that infamous Immaculate Reception game.

Offense vs. Offense

For Las Vegas Aiden O’Connell will get the start as the Raiders are benching Gardner Minshew. Minshew has more interceptions this season than touchdowns (5-4) and Las Vegas has little to offer in the running game. Zamr White is the leader on the ground with just 152 yards on 49 rushes for a low average of 3.1 per carry. The leading receiver is tight end Brock Bowers who has caught 28 passes for 313 yards. 

When Pittsburgh has the ball, it appears Justin Fields will be the starting quarterback for the sixth straight game. Russell Wilson has been deemed healthy and I have a sneaky feeling that his time to start is coming and coming soon. If Fields has a subpar day or a mediocre performance, then we should expect Russ to start the next game. I expect to see more passing in facing the Raiders and more downfield plays. 

This past week there has been a lot of conversation about George Pickens and how he has still not and he showed signs in the Dallas case of that being the case. The Steelers offense needs more explosive plays. Not high scoring affairs but some passing plays to open the offense a little more so that Fields or Wilson do not have to rely solely on the running game. 

I still like the play of Fields thus far, but he may in fact be lacking that leadership quality Russell Wilson brings to the table. Thus, we may see a change soon. Still, I think Fields is a dangerous component of the offense and should have success in Las Vegas. Because of Jaylen Warren’s absence, Najee Harris will have to carry the bulk of the load in running the ball, but Aaron Shampklin will get some carries as well. The rookie out of Harvard has carried the ball five times in 2024 for 19 yards. 

Aside from earlier injuries to the offensive line that put James Daniels and Troy Fautanu on injured reserve and done for the season, the line is relatively healthy. Zach Frazier is having an outstanding season at center in his first NFL season and another rookie Mason McCormick has been impressive.

Advantage: Steelers.

Defense vs. defense

Pittsburgh’s defense despite the loss to Dallas remains in the top 10 for the fewest yards allowed (298.0) and the Raiders are yielding an average of 333.2. As for passing yards given up, these two teams are close on average (Pittsburgh-206.8 and Vegas 201.4). The Steelers rank high in rushing yards allowed with a 91.2 mark. Las Vegas is giving opposing runners 131.8 yards per game which bodes well for Najee Harris and Justin Fields. 

The Steelers rank second in points allowed trailing just the Chargers as they find themselves tied with Denver at 14.6. Los Angeles is giving up just 12.5 per game. I’m waiting for T.J. Watt to have another monster game and while the Dallas Cowboys had a pretty stout offensive line, the Raiders do not. Watt should have a good day but with Alex Highsmith and Nick Harbig both out, look for Payton Wilson to step up and play a bigger role.

Advantage: Steelers.

Intangibles

On paper, the Steelers win this game easily. But given Pittsburgh’s history this is typical of what is called a “trap game.” I don’t believe the Steelers get trapped and that Fields will have a solid game. If Fields can’t get the job done and is yanked for Russell Wilson, we will have to wonder what that will do to his confidence and psyche. There is no reason for the Steelers to lose this game unless they beat themselves. They are simply a better team. We all know this. The possibilities of this team are endless if all the chips fall in the right way. Mike Tomlin just hasn’t been able to put it all together just yet. Perhaps Russell Wilson is the missing magic. No matter how you lay it down, team President Art Rooney said after the disappointing end to the season in 2023 that the Steelers needed better “quarterback play.” Fans are craving for, and experts are saying that the Pittsburgh Steelers need to not just make the post season but to win a playoff game. This game is a perfect example of how the Steelers can rebuild some confidence with a convincing and blowout victory.

Prediction: Steelers 34 Raiders 9.