The Steelers had a good plan of attack, and it involved Rashard Mendenhall busting his way into the end zone 3 times to ensure a playoff victory.
The Steelers had a good plan of attack, and it involved Rashard Mendenhall busting his way into the end zone 3 times to ensure a playoff victory.

It was over when:
Rashard Mendenhall scored his third rushing touching of the game, which gave the Steelers a 28-14 lead. The Raiders tried to start a late comeback similar to the one they pulled off in Week 7. During the last few minutes in the 4th quarter, the Raiders managed to score touchdown pass to Marcel Reece in order to bring the game within seven points.

Could this be déjà vu??? As the Raiders lined up in the onside kick, they were hoping for the same results as their last meeting. Unfortunately, the Steelers were not going to let that happen. The Steelers recovered the onside kick and managed to control the remaining minutes of the game.

Game Ball

The game ball has to go to none other than Rashard Mendenhall. He rushed 14 times for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Normally the Raiders defense plays tight on the line but they could not stop the Steelers power running game.

Key Stat

The Raiders had a slow start on both sides of the field and really could not get anything together until towards the end of the game. Perhaps it was the back and forth play-calling from two quarterbacks. Maybe this doomed the Raiders morale by going with this type of style during a critical game. Most importantly, the loss of the Raiders best player Darren McFadden in the 1st quarter set the mood towards the rest of the game.

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