5 Things to Watch: Steelers Bring Fans, Injuries, Mismatches Into Week 2 vs. Raiders
PITTSBURGH -- Welcome back to Heinz Field, Pittsburgh Steelers fans.
For the first time since 2019, the Steelers bring a full house to the North Shore during the regular season. Maybe this isn't Ben Roethlisberger's last ride, but maybe it is, and there's no better way to start it off than a win in Buffalo and a welcome back party on Art Rooney Drive.
The Steelers are 1-0 heading into their matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. As kickoff approaches, here's what we're watching.
Chuks Okorafor vs. Maxx Crosby
Big Ben says Crosby is great because of where he went to school. The rest of the NFL doesn't really know what makes this edge rusher so dominant, but they're pretty worried about the damage he can do against them.
Okorafor remains a very questionable part of the Steelers' offensive line. It won't be much easier for rookie Dan Moore Jr. against Carl Nassib, but Crosby's two sacks and five quarterback hits in Week 1 leave a lot of room for concern against Okorafor.
This is the matchup to watch on the o-line. It could also be the make-or-break matchup for the offense as a whole.
Steelers Injuries
The Steelers got hit with two late-week injuries on Friday. Inside linebacker Devin Bush and cornerback Joe Haden are both questionable heading into kickoff with groin issues.
If Haden can't go, there's faith in James Pierre and Cam Sutton to man the outside successfully. They both played well against Buffalo and there's really no reason they shouldn't again in Week 2.
Bush's absence could mean Robert Spillane steps into the starting role. This leaves the Steelers looking for alternatives against tight end Darren Waller.
Pittsburgh can't put Spillane on Waller, ever, but they also can't let Joe Schobert be the only linebacker to cover him. It's going to be interesting watching the adjustments.
The Running Game
"We need to run the ball better," offensive coordinator Matt Canada said Thursday. "You can ask me that every time we do this. I'm gonna say that every time. Obviously, we always want to run the ball better no matter how well we run it. Yeah, we wanna run the ball better."
A pretty straightforward response after Najee Harris ran the ball 16 times for 45 yards in Week 1 against the Bills.
This week, the Raiders are without Gerald McCoy, which could leave room for opportunity inside. If the Steelers take advantage of it, this offense adds a dimension they haven't had in over two years. A dimension they need to be successful this season.
Interior Defensive Line
The Raiders put right guard Denzelle Good on IR this week with an ACL tear. That means Jermaine Eluemunor will get the start in Week 2 against the Steelers.
Chris Wormley will be the man lined up across from Eluemunor most times, which is a great look for the veteran defensive end. At other times, the Steelers will try to put an outside linebacker in the gap and try to rush him. Maybe they'll even switch Cam Heyward around a few times to take advantage of the mismatch.
The Steelers are going to attack the weak spot, which could lead to an even better performance from the defensive front than last week.
The Fans
Heinz Field is going to be a mad house Sunday afternoon. If you went downtown in the last 48 hours, you saw more people than you've probably seen all summer.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said it best, "there's a difference between 100,000 rooting for you and 75,000 rooting against you."
This is the NFL. It's not "my team all the time," it's "screw your team, my team is the best." These fans know it, these fans embrace it, and there really might not be a better group in the stands than Steelers Nation.
This stadium is going to be LOUD. And man, is that exciting.
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
You May Also Like:
Impact of Steelers Late-Week Injuries
3 Burning Questions: Steelers vs. Raiders
Devin Bush, Joe Haden Questionable for Week 2
Raiders Rule Out Josh Jacobs vs. Steelers
Steelers Found a Stud in Full-Time Cam Sutton
Cris Carter Blasts Ben Roethlisberger's Intelligence
Steelers Starting to See Minkah Fitzpatrick as Troy Polamalu
Eric Ebron Added to Steelers Week 2 Injury Report
