Steelers-Raiders Preview & Prediction

The Raiders might not be a matchup that means much to most fans in Pittsburgh. On paper this looks to be a potential snoozefest if you like points. However, to myself and many yinzers, the Raiders are a rival like few others. The Immaculate Reception, when Franco Harris scored an improbable touchdown, is one of the all-time Steelers vs Raiders moments. This year when the black and gold take on the black and silver, the Raiders will be trying to defend their new home turf in Las Vegas and exact revenge for the Steelers’ Christmas Eve comeback last year.

The offensive showing for the Steelers Monday night was abysmal. When asked about how to get the ‘mojo’ back, all Matt Canada had to say was “I don’t know”. Yikes. No Steelers coach in recent memory has had a hotter seat than Matt Canada and I expect us to see something different out of the offense Sunday night. Look for Canada to involve more play-action passing to help give the offense a spark.

Yinzers should keep an eye on several things in this game. The first thing being TJ Watt vs Raiders O-line. The Raiders have had the best pass protection in the NFL through two games this season, allowing 0 sacks heading into this week’s matchup. However, they haven’t played a tandem nearly as talented as TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith (who is really beginning to make a name for himself in the NFL). Last week, Highsmith and Watt combined for 7 tackles, 2 takeaways, 2 sacks, and 2 touchdowns (1 of which was the game winner). I expect the Steelers to be relentless on Sunday and the young tandem to be the X-Factor that they need them to be.

Second, keep an eye on the Raiders offense. This unit has not been much better than the Steelers to this point in the year and last week, they found themselves getting boat-raced by the Buffalo Bills in their 38-10 loss. The Steelers still need to watch out for wide receiver Davante Adams as he is obviously really good at football. Adams can be a game changer and the Steelers secondary has yet to really impress. While I look forward to seeing more of Joey Porter Jr., the team needs to be wary of matching him up on Adams.

GM Omar Khan made it a point this offseason to retool the offensive line for the upcoming season. Unfortunately to this point, they have not been great. The O-line is typically a unit that takes a while to gel together and growing pains are just part of the process. This group is definitely something to watch this week as the Raiders have allowed 138.5 rushing yards per game this season. Najee Harris will be relying on this group to open some holes as he tries to get back on track. If the Steelers can’t run the ball against the Raiders, I’m not sure who they will be able to run it against. Of course, Raiders DE Maxx Crosby is not going to make things easy for the struggling Steelers offense.

At the end of the day, the Raiders are a bottom tier team in the NFL. I know the Steelers to this point have left a lot to be desired, but they should win this game. I believe that this week, the offense will play at least 1 snap inside the Raiders 30-yard line and win on the road with a score of 20-13. This is the game when Jaylen Warren scores a touchdown and Minkah Fitzpatrick comes away with his first takeaway of the season.