Perspective Of An Average Steelers Fan: Pittsburgh Does What It Takes In Vegas

Game Prelude

The Steelers’ first game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Coming into this game, the key matchup was the Steelers’ weak offense versus the Raiders’ suspect defense. Maxx Crosby headlines the Raiders defense. And Steelers fans are familiar with Robert Spillane, who starts at inside linebacker. The Steelers only played four wide receivers. Could Pittsburgh’s tight ends and running backs carry the day?

Then, could the Pittsburgh defense perform an encore performance from last week? Jimmy Garoppolo had Davante Adams to target. Plus, Josh Jacobs led the NFL in rushing last year but started slow this season. Could the defense shut him down and limit the Raiders’ passing attack?

Last Monday, lots of Steelers fans told me they were traveling to Las Vegas. Steelers Depot contributor Ross McCorkle attended the game. He confirmed that Steeler Nation showed up in numbers.

I’d also like to shout out Bryce, a young Steelers fan who drives from Kentucky to nearly every Steelers home game. He made the trip out to Las Vegas too.

On to the game.

Steelers Offense

Explosive First-Quarter Play

Pittsburgh had seven first-half possessions.

Two straight three and outs made fans nervous. But down 7-0, Pittsburgh answered the Raiders score with Kenny Pickett connecting with Calvin Austin III deep down the middle for a 72-yard touchdown. Austin added 30 yards after the catch.

The Steelers got another first down on the fourth drive but ended up punting. In the second quarter, the Steelers moved the ball 29 yards and got another 15 from Maxx Crosby pulling a player out of the pile after Najee Harris picked up a first down. But the Steelers had to settle for a Chris Boswell 43-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead. Then the Steelers got the ball back following a fair catch at their 23-yard line. Pickett targeted Austin on third down, but rookie Jakorian Bennett called for defensive pass interference. On the new set of downs, Pickett scrambled all the way to the four on third down. But an illegal shift by George Pickens negated the play. Pickens scrambled for 10 yards on third and nine. But the drive stalled after Harris caught in the backfield by an unblocked defender losing four yards. Warren gained seven on third and 14 to give Boswell an easier 42-yard field goal. Steelers up 13-7 at the half.

Strong Second Half Start

The Steelers’ offense had strong start but faded in fourth quarter.

The Steelers pushed to the nine following a Raiders punt for the offense to start the second half. Harris picked up a first down. Then on third and 5 at the Pittsburgh 26, Pickett hit Pickens for 32 yards, Pickens gaining most of the yards after the catch. The Raiders defense stiffened up, stopping Harris and then Jaylen Warren. Pickett had to throw the ball away on third down. No worries. Boswell hits a 57-yard field goal. Now up 16-7.

Pittsburgh gets the ball back at the 19 after an interception. Pickett to Pickens for 17 on first play of drive. Then Warren runs four yards followed by a 16-yard reception. Now in Vegas territory, Pickett connects with Pat Freiermuth for 14. Harris then runs for 17 yards. Then back to Freiermuth for a 13-yard touchdown. Kenny Pickett’s first NFL game with more than one touchdown pass. It was 23-7 with 3:36 to play in the third quarter.

Offense Fades in Fourth Quarter

The defense got the ball back on downs early in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the offense faded in the fourth quarter. Three straight punts, including two after three and outs. But on the penultimate possession, Allen Robinson caught a low pass for a first down just before the two-minute warning. That play forced Las Vegas to spend its last timeout and left just 12 seconds on the clock by the time the Raiders got the ball back. The Steelers held on for a 23-18 win.

Steelers Defense

Defense lets Las Vegas back in the game. But interceptions and sacks keep too many points from being scored.

Defense Torched on Fourth Down But Clamps Down

The Pittsburgh defense forced a punt to start the game. But Jimmy Garoppolo started to pass to Davante Adams to set up the run. T.J. Watt recovered a ball fumbled by Josh Jacobs. Unfortunately, the replay showed his knee down before the ball was dislodged from his grasp. Garoppolo tried a sneak on third and one but stopped short by Kwon Alexander. On fourth and very short, everyone expected another plunge at the line. Instead, Garoppolo threw deep to Adams for a 32-yard touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. Patrick Peterson bit on the play-action and raced back too late. Levi Wallace in the vicinity. Defense torched on fourth down.

Defense Wakes Up

Maybe that play woke up the defense. Watt sacked Garoppolo on first down, eventually forcing a punt after the Steelers tied the game. On their next possession, the Raiders moved from their 14 into Steeler territory on two Adams receptions for first downs. But then Levi Wallace intercepted a pass intended for TE Michael Mayer. Then the defense forced two punts on Raiders’ remaining first-half possessions. Steelers fans assisted with a crescendo to cause a delay of game on the Raiders. Watt sacked Garoppolo a second time to end a drive on a third-and-four play. Solid effort to maintain a 13-7 lead at the half.

Second Half

Defense Bends But Doesn’t Break

Raiders forced to punt first possession away. Pittsburgh goes up 16-7. Garoppolo connects with Adams for yet another first down. But under pressure, Garoppolo throws a pass and Patrick Peterson is the closest player to make a play. He does and records his first interception as a Pittsburgh Steeler. Pittsburgh scores a touchdown off the takeaway and it’s now 23-7 with 3:56 left in third quarter. The defense gave up some yardage. On second and two, Garoppolo hits WR Jakobi Meyers for 18 yards to get near midfield. They reach the Pittsburgh 27 on a quarterback scramble. But then Keeanu Benton sacks him at the 36, his first sack as a Pittsburgh Steeler. After a couple penalties, Garoppolo completes two and Raiders are at the 22 needing five yards for a first down. Wallace defends the pass intended for Jakobi Meyers to take away the ball on downs.

The offense could not exploit the takeaway and punt. The Raiders got the ball at the 20 with 11:32 to play. Two passes to Adams and the Raiders are near midfield. Then Jacobs has his longest run, a 10-yard rumble for a first down. Jacobs runs another nine to enter the red zone. Markus Golden sacks Garoppolo. Later on, on the second and 10, Minkah Fitzpatrick sacks Garoppolo. But is called for roughing the passer. His helmet did make contact, but Garoppolo did a good job acting as if the hit was harder than it was. Regardless, the penalty makes it first and goal instead of third and 16. On the third and one, Garoppolo connects with a wide-open Adams. Pittsburgh stops the two-point conversion, but Chandon Sullivan is called for interference. The second attempt succeeds. It’s 23-15. Suddenly fans get nervous.

An untimely three and out by the offense gives the ball back to the Raiders with 4:35 to play. At midfield after Pressley Harvin III’s one bad punt of the day. Adams makes a first down on a 12-yard catch and gets out of bounds. Meyers gains seven. On third and three Keanu Neal stops Jacobs for a two-yard gain, and the Raiders false start on fourth down. Crowd noise again? Las Vegas opts to kick the field goal. A slap in the face of the Pittsburgh offense. Raiders get one more play with 12 seconds left in the game and down 23-18. Levi Wallace made his second interception to effectively end the game.

Never a doubt. We had ‘em all the way.

Special Teams

Special teams are an underappreciated facet of the game where one big play can shift momentum or even decide the game winner.

I break special teams into three phases: kickoffs, punting, and field goals, including extra-point attempts. Here is an overview of the special teams play during the game:

KICKOFFS

Chris Boswell kicked off six times. All were touchbacks, negating any possibility of a big return.

Daniel Carlson kicked off four times. All four were touchbacks.

THE STATS

Advantage To No One.

PUNTING

Harvin punted six times averaging 53.8 yards. He had one short 41-yard punt in the fourth quarter that DeAndre Carter returned 16 yards near midfield. The Raiders scored three points off the favorable position. But his other punts flipped the field position, including three behind the 20. Carter muffed the last one but recovered at the 15-yard line. Mark Robinson made two tackles and Miles Killebrew another to limit the punt returns. James Pierre downed another punt at the Las Vegas 14.

A.J. Cole punted five times, averaging 52.4 yards but just one behind the 20. Calvin Austin III had a 15-yard return nullified by a Pierre hold. Instead of starting at the 48, the Steelers were pushed back to the 23, a miscue costing 25 yards of field position. Austin returned another just five yards to the 25. Cole had a touchback. But then he punted his last out of bounds at the Pittsburgh nine.

The short fourth quarter punt by Harvin and the penalty on Austin’s first return gave the Raiders the edge. However, overall Harvin had a strong day and contributed to the Steelers win by flipping the field.

THE STATS

Advantage Raiders.

FIELD GOALS AND EXTRA POINTS

Chris Boswell kicked three field goals. A long 57-yard effort gave the Steelers a 16-7 first half lead. Plus, he had two extra points.

Daniel Carlson made his only field goal attempt. One attempt was nullified by DeMarvin Leal using the snapper for leverage. But it worked out in Steelers’ favor after the Raiders were held to a field goal and just took more time off the clock. He made the only PAT attempt. The Raiders also converted two points on the second try. The Steelers stopped the first, but Chandon Sullivan was called for holding.

I gave the Steelers the edge as making the field goals kept them in the lead.

THE STATS

Advantage Steelers

DAVE BRYAN’S VICTORY PUNCH LIST

Dave Bryan provided five keys for a Steelers victory. Here is how the Steelers performed them:

1. Offense has six or fewer negative plays, not including penalties. The Steelers lost or gained no yards on eight running plays. Plus, Pickett was sacked once. Mission Failure.
2. Steelers run for more than 60 yards. The Steelers gained 105 rushing yards. Mission Accomplished.
3. Keep Maxx Crosby away from Kenny Pickett. Crosby sacked Pickett once and had two quarterback hits. That is a success. Mission Accomplished.
4. Steelers outgain Raiders in rushing yards. The Steelers outgained Raiders in rushing 105 to 69. Mission Accomplished.
5. Freiermuth catches eight passes for 56 yards. Freiermuth caught three passes for 41 yards and a touchdown. The score makes up for the not enough receptions or yards. Mission Accomplished.

The Steelers accomplished four of five of the keys to victory.

YOUR HOT TAKES DURING THE GAME

Thank you, Josh Carney, for keeping us up to date on the game’s first and second half Live Update and Discussion Threads. Ross McCorkle attended the game. Steelers Depot respondents contributed 1,444 first-half comments. Respondents added 1,342 more second-half comments.  Here are the top three comments from each half. I don’t know the algorithm used by Disqus but here is how they stacked it up:

Two of the top three first-half comments directed ire toward offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

Rocco had the top first half comment with “I wanna punch Matt Canada right in the face. I’m willing to bet I’ll get the go fund me money to bail me out of jail within 10 minutes.”  The folks were very frustrated with the first two three and outs. Instant Classic added “The fact that our dufus OC can’t seem to incorporate Freiermuth and Washington at all is astounding.” The folks were very salty at the start. I offered a positive comment and got three downvotes within in seconds. LOL. Hopefully, folks are happier with the eventual outcome of the game.

The second-highest comment of the first half made by Danny Porter saying, “Heard Alex K get a call out from Ramon Foster about on the radio discussing the Steelers running game.” Nice to hear Alex getting mentioned by former Steelers who follow the game as pundits now.

The top comment of the second half referenced rookie Keeanu Benton’s first NFL sack. Chris92021 exclaimed “Benton is gonna be a stud. Someone that big should not be able to move that quickly.”

Even special teams got some credit. Mwahahaaa said “Another good game by Harvin.”

But penalties kept the Raiders in the game in the fourth quarter, including a questionable roughing the passer penalty on Minkah Fitzpatrick. MVG articulated our feelings very well. “NFL really needs to have these personal foul calls reviewable. Perfect wrap around the chest and the helmet touches and they call a roughing. Of course, the helmet touches, it’s bigger than the head so it sticks out from the body a bit. Goes from defense in good spot to offense has basically a touchdown given…SMH.”

Thanks to all that contributed to the threads. Even the naysayers. They are keeping it real.

CONCLUSION

All three phases contributed to a Pittsburgh victory. There were lapses, but the decisive plays carried the day.

The offense struck early with a 72-yard touchdown. It continued with drives that led to three field goals. And Kenny Pickett got his first NFL multi-touchdown pass game. May there be many more. But needed to finish some drives in the fourth quarter.

The defense intercepted three passes and sacked Jimmy Garoppolo four times. his first sacks of the year. The defense forced five punts and forced a takeaway on downs. However, the defense gave up 11 fourth-quarter points and got torched on a fourth down for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Boswell and Harvin earned their pay once again. But the bad fourth quarter punt and a couple of special team penalties kept things close.

Again, strong team effort. But plenty of areas to improve on. Bottom line, Pittsburgh did what it took to win the game.

Kudos to the Steelers’ fan base too. Here is a shot from Ross McCorkle as Levi Wallace shut out the lights on Las Vegas. Check out the vibe from Steeler Nation:

The Texans mauled Jacksonville 37-17. They will not be a pushover in their home stadium. Time to get ready. Here we go.

Your Song Selection

I always like to include a bit of music. For Pittsburgh fans, “all you need’s a strong heart and a nerve of steel.” Here is Viva La Vegas performed by “Lucky Jackson.”