By Donny Chedrick
“The
Black Hole” has become an odd house of horrors for Pittsburgh since the
riveting Steelers-Raiders rivalry of the 70’s.
The
Steelers haven’t won in Oakland since December 10, 1995 when Neil O’Donnell was
under center and his main targets were Yancy Thigpen, Ernie Mills and a rookie
named Kordell Stewart. The Steelers want to—and need to— win this time around.
It technically isn’t a must-win game for the Steelers, but with the Ravens on
their heels and games against the Patriots and Saints remaining, it’s essential
for Pittsburgh to get back in the win column. With that, here are some keys to
look for with the Oakland Raiders.
The Trenches
Although
it’s a key in every football, this must be a point of emphasis for the Steelers
against the Raiders. A shaky offensive line and a bad pass rush is what Oakland
poses, which works into Pittsburgh’s favor. The Steelers need to plan and
expose the line on each side for Oakland to a point that puts Pittsburgh in
total control. If the Raiders can’t protect Derek Carr, the Steelers can feast,
with one of the best pass rushes in the NFL. On the other side of the ball,
Oakland traded one of the best defensive players in football before the season in
Khalil Mack, and have suffered on that side since. The Raiders struggle to get
after the quarterback without Mack and with the Steelers offensive line being
consistently one of the most stable in the league, it mixes in well for Ben
Roethlisberger to be well-protected.
The Steelers’ Secondary
Another
point of attack for the Oakland could be Pittsburgh’s secondary. Although it
seems as if opponents light up the Pittsburgh pass defense, that isn’t
necessarily the case. The Steelers rank in the top 10 pass yards against,
allowing 228.5 yards per game (8th in the NFL). There have been
times when the Steelers have been eaten alive by an opposing QB like Patrick
Mahomes, Phillip Rivers and Joe Flacco, but for the most part, this defense has
done its job. During the Steelers six-game winning streak, they weren’t torched
by a QB and as they look to get back on track against Oakland, the Raiders can
try to key on the secondary to get their fourth straight home win against
Pittsburgh.
Pound the rock
The key
to the Raiders success against the Steelers in the three victories since 1995
has come on the ground. All three games featured a leading rusher over 50 yards
with a pair of them going for 100+ against Pittsburgh. In close victories in
both 2012 and 2013, Darren McFadden ran for 113 and a score followed by
Terrelle Pryor going for 106 and a touchdown, including the longest touchdown
run by a quarterback in NFL history (93 yards). That has been a main
contribution to the Raiders being able to outlast the Steelers as the passing
attack has seen just one game over 100 yards in the three victories since 1995
and that came from potential Hall of Famer, Carson Palmer, who threw for 209 yards
in 2012. Oakland will need to count on an advantage in the run game to once
again top the Steelers today.
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