It might not have the same meaning or feel that it once did, but a matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders at 4:05 p.m. Sunday inside Allegiant Stadium is a big one for both teams.
The Steelers need to bounce back after two ugly losses to the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys in back-to-back weeks, while the Raiders are going through quite a bit of turmoil and need to find a way to right the ship.
Both teams are significantly banged up coming into this matchup, too, so there will be plenty of new faces and names to learn about ahead of kickoff.
There will be games within the game to watch, like the turnover battle, tackling battle and more. Make sure to keep an eye on key individual matchups, though. There are plenty of them this week top to bottom in all three phases for the Steelers against the Raiders.
Below are my four key matchups to watch on Sunday.
STEELERS OLB JEREMIAH MOON VS. RAIDERS LT KOLTON MILLER
Once Nick Herbig left the game with an injury against the Cowboys, the pass rush from the Steelers largely dried up. That’s because the Cowboys could focus all of their attention on T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward, and that really hindered the Steelers, who didn’t blitz, either.
Now, Herbig is set to miss the game against the Raiders. Alex Highsmith has been out a few weeks, too. So opposite Watt, Jeremiah Moon has to step up and win his share of 1-on-1 matchups against Raiders’ LT Kolton Miller.
Miller has allowed 14 pressures on the season and has been charged with 6 sacks allowed through the first five weeks of the season, according to Pro Football Focus. There’s a real opportunity there for Moon, who had just one pressure on 14 pass rush reps against Dallas.
If Moon can handle his 1-on-1 reps and generate some pressure, that will take some weight off the shoulders of Watt and Heyward from a pass rush perspective. That’ll go a long way towards forcing Raiders’ QB Aidan O’Connell into mistakes, which should help the Steelers win the game.
RAIDERS TE BROCK BOWERS VS. STEELERS SECONDARY
With Davante Adams on the shelf and soon to be traded, and Jakobi Meyers significantly banged up, the Raiders’ passing attack is down to some inexperienced receivers going into the matchup against the Steelers. They do have an impressive rookie tight end in Brock Bowers to work with, though.
Bowers has been outstanding since entering the league. He’s hauled in 28 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown on the season, and has been a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. So far this season, Bowers lines up in the slot 56% of the time. He wins often there due to his route running and general feel for timing and space. It’s what made him great at the collegiate level, and it’s very clearly carried over to the NFL.
He’ll be a tall task for a Steelers secondary that has had some communication issues in recent weeks, and hasn’t gotten the level of play expected in the slot so far this season. It seems very unlikely the Steelers would match rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. up against Bowers, so guys like DeShon Elliott, Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick will likely get the assignments.
Take away Bowers, and the Raiders shouldn’t be able to do much of anything in the passing game. That bodes well for the Steelers. They have the advantage on paper in that matchup right now.
STEELERS WR GEORGE PICKENS VS. RAIDERS CB JAKORIAN BENNETT
Entering the Week 6 matchup, George Pickens is dealing with quite a bit of turmoil and needs a strong response. Last season after having some attitude and behavior issues, Pickens put up 4/195/2 against the Cincinnati Bengals. It would be nice if he could do that again this week against the Raiders.
While Jack Jones profiles as the No. 1 corner for the Raiders, Jakorian Bennett is having one heck of a year for the Silver and Black. He’s allowed just 9 receptions on 21 targets on the year for 100 yards. He also has 6 pass breakups in the process. When you think of sticky coverage corners, Bennett doesn’t really come to mind, but he’s having a great year.
Pickens is going to get extra attention from the Raiders on Sunday. He needs to find a way to make plays.
RAIDERS EDGE MAXX CROSBY VS. STEELERS RT BRODERICK JONES
Maxx Crosby is one of the very best EDGE defenders in football, right there with T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons. He’s outstanding.
However, he’s entering the matchup with the Steelers a bit banged up, dealing with an ankle injury. That could slow him down, which is good news for the Steelers and right tackle Broderick Jones. Crosby lines up primarily on the left side of the defense (right side of the offense) and does most of his damage from there. He has just 40 snaps on the right side of the defense this season, compared to 188 snaps on the left side.
The Steelers know all too well how good Crosby is. Last season, he had 9 pressures and a sack against the Steelers in Week 3. This time, he’ll go against Jones instead of Chukwuma Okorafor. Jones has been up and down this season, but seems to be finding his game again.
Jones allowed just 2 pressures last week against the Cowboys and is starting to settle in. He’s a great athlete at the position and has good strength, so he matches up well with Crosby. Doing it on the field is a tall task, though, as Crosby makes even the best of the best look silly.
If Jones can keep Crosby at bay, the Raiders shouldn’t be able to generate much of a pass rush, which should give Justin Fields a clean pocket to work from.
