Las Vegas Raiders/Pittsburgh Steelers Week 2 Preview
One of the more intriguing matchups for Week 2 of the National Football League season is the Raiders visiting Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers at 1 pm Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field. Both teams are 1-0 after exciting and surprising week one wins. The Steelers went into Buffalo and upset the favored Bills by dominating the second half in all facets of the game, while the Raiders overcame a bizarre series of events to win a thrilling game over the Baltimore Ravens in overtime on Monday night.
The Raiders are trying to improve on last year’s 8-8 finish and put together their first winning season since 2016. Jon Gruden’s second stint with the Raiders has seen some steady improvement, but there are still serious weaknesses in the team’s makeup. They are still struggling to put together a consistent pass rush since trading away one of the best edge rushers in the league, Khalil Mack, before the start of the 2018 season. Mack had 9 sacks last year for the Bears, while the Raiders as a team had only 21 total sacks and finished fourth from last in the NFL in that category. The Steelers have a brand-new offensive line with two rookies in starting positions. The Raiders will have to take advantage of this and consistently rush quarterback Ben Roethlisberger or it could be a long afternoon for the visitors.
On offense, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has put up some impressive numbers recently. He has thrown for over 4,000 yards each of the past three seasons. During that span, he has thrown for 67 touchdowns and only 27 interceptions. He will need to have a big day against the tough Steelers defense, as Las Vegas’ running game is almost an afterthought. Carr threw 56 times on Monday night against the Ravens, and outstanding Tight End Darren Waller had 10 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers have had difficulty over the last few years covering opposing tight ends, so Waller could have a big day catching the ball on Sunday. Pittsburgh will need to rely on their ferocious pass rush to get to Carr before he can find Waller and his other receivers.
The Steelers are trying to re-establish a running game after becoming a more pass-first team in recent years. Against the Bills, first-round draft choice Najee Harris rushed 16 times for 45 yards and showed flashes of the brilliance he displayed in college at Alabama. It will be tempting for Pittsburgh to want to throw the ball against the Raiders due to the visitors’ lack of a pass rush, but if the Steelers are really committed to becoming a more balanced offense, then Harris will need to have at least 20 carries.
The Steelers defense will try to put pressure on Carr with their powerful pass rush, led by all-world outside rusher T.J. Watt. The Raiders are missing guard Denzelle Good, out for the season after suffering an ACL injury against the Ravens. He was replacing Richie Incognito, who did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday this week. If Incognito can’t go on Sunday look for the Steelers to try to take advantage of his replacement. The Steelers’ defense could make it tough for Carr all day long. The Raiders will need to at least attempt to establish some sort of rushing attack to slow down the Steelers’ rushers.
The Raiders/Steelers clash looks to be one of the better games this week. It will be an early test to see which of these teams could be a serious playoff contender this season. Both teams are playing in tough divisions, so even though it is only the second week of the season this game is important to both teams. The Raiders’ AFC West division rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, have a tough game this week against the Steelers’ AFC North division foes, the Baltimore Ravens. Whoever comes out on top in the Raiders/Steelers game will be in a much better position in their division than the losers will be in theirs.
Writer
-By: Damian Mastrangelo