Raiders Bounce Back Late Against the Steelers

PITTSBURGH, PA — Week two of the preseason the Oakland Raiders visit the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Raiders were trying to have a better showing after being shut out against the Green Bay Packers 0-28. During the first half the offense was as dull as they were against the Packers. They started off on a solid first drive, however once they were facing a 4^th and inches, quarterback Derek Carr failed on a quarterback sneak. Carr held on to the ball and was in constant pressure. The defense was the same. During the Steelers’ first series, ben Roethlisberger along with Le’Veon Bell drove the Steelers to a quick score for 2-yard rush up the middle. There was no pass rush. The struggled continued for the Raiders with their rookie kicker, Griffin Taylor, missing wide right on his first professional field goal attempt of his career. Sure, it was a 61-yard attempt but there was a great opportunity to see how the kid performed. Coach Farias stated, “Its preseason you know. So we decided to give him a shot. We’ve heard a lot about this kid and he’s been talking a lot during practice and in social media so he was given a shot and it showed that he wasn’t ready.”

Carr continued trying to get the football to his players and closed the first half with an interception and trailing the Steelers 0-10. During the second half, it did not look as if Coach Farias and his staff made the proper adjustments in order to make this game competitive.

The Raiders finally decided to wake up at the end of the 3^rd quarter after safety Nate Allen intercepted Landry Jones on a deep route. While trailing 0-13 at the start of the 4^th quarter, the Raiders were once again working on a solid driver until Carr threw a drive-killing interception to safety Mike Mitchell. As the Raiders struggled to finish a drive with a score, Coach Farias adjusted the offensive line by benching rookie right tackle, Joey Gonzales who was constantly getting beat by the Steelers defensive linemen. Yes the offensive line was a big issue throughout the game but we all know who throws the ball so a lot this rides on Carr and his ability to find the open receiver and properly place the ball where his receiver can catch it.

Now if this game couldn’t get any worse, Steelers running back Chris Ivory had an explosive run when he went for 63 yards and was stopped on the Raiders 7 yard line. With a chance to put the game away, the Raiders were looking at another shutout game. One fact to bring up is that cornerback TJ Carrie was carried to the bench with muscle cramps. The Raiders defense managed to hold off the Steelers for two plays until Carrie returned. On the ensuing play, the entire game and the Steelers momentum went away.

It was 3^rd and goal on the Raiders three yard line, the Steelers line up in a shotgun formation with two tight ends. Jones attempts to throw an out pattern pass and it gets picked off by none other than TJ Carrie who just three plays earlier was dealing with muscle cramps. Carrie took that interception for 97 yards and his first pick six of the season.

On the next Steeler possession, the Raiders defense played tough and held the Steelers to a three-and-out. Now, with momentum finally on the Raiders side, they … guess what? … no, they did not turn the ball over. Well, they almost did. But facing a 4^th and 7 on the Steelers 8 yard line, Carr finds Amari Cooper on a curl route for the game winning touchdown. With the extra point counting, the Raiders finally have the lead in a game. The Raiders’ defense held tight and prevented the Steelers from coming back.

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