Raiders Defense in For A Fight Against Steelers

The Las Vegas Raiders return home to play quarterback Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.

After splitting their first two games of the season on the road, the Las Vegas' defense looks to get back on the right track after a rough game against the Buffalo Bills last week.

Pickett is a much different quarterback for a defense to have to prepare against than Josh Allen of the Bills.

That should be beneficial to the Raiders, but only if the Raiders' defense can take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. Las Vegas will have to take the lessons learned from last week and implement the proper changes moving forward.

"So, that's one thing that we have to do moving forward and when you're dealing with these really good quarterbacks you got to find ways to do that, whether it's disguise, scheme, whatever it may be, you just have to find a way to get him off rhythm and create some good situations for the defense."

"A key thing for us moving forward is just to get off to a fast start and to get the quarterback off their rhythm. That starts with me first and foremost."

While the Steelers' offense isn't as explosive as the Bills' offense, they still present a formidable challenge.

"Looking forward to this game against the Steelers just watching the game [Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers], I thought they did a really good job of perseverance in terms of being resilient and finishing the fourth quarter," Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said.

"So, the key thing there is it's going to be a four-quarter game – it's going to be 60 minutes. That's one thing that you see when you watch the Steelers and how Coach Tomlin builds that team and how they go about it every season. So, from Week 2 to Week 3 you’re just stringing together 60 minutes of good football, that's the plan."

The Raiders and Steelers are similar in terms of mentality and physicality. Former Steelers linebacker and current Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane says he and the Raiders' defense plan on matching Pittsburgh's toughness on Sunday.

"They’re downright physical and tough," said middle linebacker and former linebacker for the Steelers, Robert Spillane said. "On the Steelers. "Coach [Mike] Tomlin used to say that’s [physical football] AFC North football, so I’m bringing a little AFC North football out to the west and return some in their favor."

The Raiders are preparing for a dogfight when Pittsburgh comes to town. They'll have to match the Steelers' toughness to avoid a 1-2 start on the season.

The Silver and Black return home to Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 8:20 p.m. EDT/5:20 p.m. PDT.

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