Raiders Implode in a 23-18 Loss to the Steelers
After an embarrassing defeat in Buffalo last week, the Las Vegas Raiders returned to Allegiant Stadium for their home opener. Still, the result was the same despite a rally by the Silver and Black.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett passed for two touchdowns, and Chris Boswell kicked three field goals as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Raiders for the second straight season, 23-18, before a packed house in Las Vegas.
The highlight of the night for many longtime fans of Raider Nation came in a ceremony before the game when the family of the late Kenny Stabler finally was presented his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring, six years after he was enshrined posthumously in Canton, Ohio.
The Raiders (1-2) trailed 23-7 before they drove 80 yards in 11 plays with 5:41 left in the game to score on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s one-yard pass to Devante Adams and Garoppolo’s two-point conversion pass to rookie tight end Michael Mayer made it 23-15.
Then the Raiders drove again to the Pittsburgh eight-yard-line but stalled on two incomplete passes by Garoppolo and had to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson for the final points of the game with 2:22 remaining.
However, the Steelers (2-1) got one first down and ran out most of the clock, with Pressley Harvin III punting the ball 56 yards to give the Raiders little chance at their own 15 yard line with only 12 seconds left.
On the first play, Garoppolo threw his third interception of the game and fifth in the last two weeks to cornerback Levi Wallace, who made his second pick of the game.
The Raiders scored first for the third straight week when Garoppolo hit Adams down the middle for a 32-yard touchdown pass with 7:04 left in the first quarter, but it was mostly all Steelers after that until the late fourth quarter.
Pickett connected with wide receiver Calvin Austin III on a 72-yard touchdown bomb with 6:12 remaining in the first quarter to tie the score, and the Steelers took the lead for good on Boswell’s first field goal from 43 yards with 8:33 left in the first half.
“I think we're on track to getting (the offensive mojo) back,” Pickett said. “There's never a perfect game. There are things we wished we had back, and that's always going to be the case, but I think we're definitely heading towards that stuff we need to have back.”
Pittsburgh added field goals by Boswell of 42 yards with 1:56 left in the second and 57 yards with 9:28 remaining in the third before Pickett capped an 81-yard drive by hitting tight end Pat Freiermuth on a 13-yard scoring pass to make it 23-7 with 3:56 left in the third quarter.
And the Steelers were able to hold on at the finish.
Pickett completed 16-of-28 passes for 235 yards and the two scores with no interceptions and was sacked only once. At the same time, wide receiver George Pickens was his leading receiver with four receptions for 75 yards, and running Najee Harris led the Steelers with 65 yards on 19 carries.
“(Pickett) made the necessary plays,” Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said. “I thought he was good in the environment. I thought he was a good communicator. He did the job tonight.”
The Raiders outgained the Steelers in total yards, 362 to 333, but in addition to running seven turnovers in three games, they still do not have a takeaway this season.
Garoppolo completed 28-of-44 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns, but as mentioned, he threw three interceptions while being sacked four times for 31, including twice by All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt. Those were the first sacks the Raiders allowed in three games this season.
“Those are plays obviously we don’t want to make,” Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels said. “Jimmy makes a lot of good plays, but obviously when the quarterback holds the ball, he holds the fortune of our team also in his hands when he’s doing those things. ... A big key obviously was for us to take care of the ball. We didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight.”
Adams led the Raiders with 13 receptions for 172 yards and the two scores, while wide receiver Jakobi Meyers caught seven balls for 85 yards. Meyers had nine catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders’ opening victory over the Denver Broncos but missed last week’s game in Buffalo because of a concussion.
All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs, who had minus-two yards rushing against the Bills, looked a little more like last season’s NFL rushing leading by gaining 62 yards on 17 carries and had three receptions for 18 yards.
However, the Raiders failed to gain 100 yards rushing for the third straight game.
Linebacker Divine Deablo led the Raiders with eight tackles, including four solos. At the same time, former Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane had seven stops, while cornerback Marcus Peters, defensive tackle John Jenkins, and nickel back Nate Hobbs all made six tackles.
However, Peters dropped a pass thrown by Pickett that would have been a sure touchdown had he held on.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby had three tackles, two quarterback hits, one tackle for a loss, and the Raiders’ only sack of Pickett for seven yards.
After playing their home opener in Week 3 of the 2023 season, the Raiders are back on the road again next week to play the Los Angeles Chargers (1-2) on Sunday at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
The Silver and Black return to Allegiant Stadium for two straight home games, against the Green Bay Packers (2-1) in Monday Night Football on Oct. 9 and the following Sunday, Oct. 15, against the New England Patriots.
The NFL sends the Raiders back on the road for two straight weeks again after that, for games against the Chicago Bears (0-3) and Detroit Lions (2-1), both in the NFC North.
The Silver and Black returns to the road next week as they return to Los Angeles to play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, October 1, at 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT.
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