On paper the last two weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers had the advantage over the likes of the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys. It was a stretch that had the look of the Steelers potentially going 5-0 after winning their first three games.
Instead, they dropped two frustrating games, and now face another matchup on the road which they have the clear advantage on paper against the Las Vegas Raiders.
That’s why they play the games, though. Anything can happen.
In the Week 6 matchup against the Raiders at 4:05 p.m. inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, it’s a game that should suit the Steelers. At least, that’s what NBC Sports’ Chris Simms believes.
Appearing on the latest episode of his “Chris Simms Unbuttoned’ podcast he stated that the Steelers should win against the Raiders because Las Vegas has nothing offensively without wide receiver Davante Adams, and that the Steelers should be able to run the ball.
“I think the big thing is, this is a game that I think suits the Steelers. The Raiders are not real good on offense without Davante Adams. They don’t run the ball great, right? We got a quarterback change in all of that. I think the Steelers bounce back and I don’t really care who plays at quarterback,” Simms said, according to video via the NFL on NBC YouTube page. “I think they got enough here without Maxx Crosby being totally a hundred percent, and I think this is a team where the Steelers can run the ball on to a degree to just make enough happen in the pass game.
“I don’t think this is gonna be a pretty game or a fun game to watch.”
To be fair, what Steelers game has been pretty or fun to watch in recent memory? Almost everything has felt like a slog for the Steelers, especially on the offensive side of the football.
But that’s largely the style they want to play: low-scoring, ugly games in which the defense has to keep the score down, create turnovers and win the game late while the offense does just enough. It’s how they’ve played in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
Fortunately for Pittsburgh, that should work against the Raiders, who made a quarterback change this week, turning to backup Aidan O’Connell after Gardner Minshew II started the first five games of the season. The Raiders will be without star receiver Davante Adams, though, which will be magnified against the Steelers’ defense.
Las Vegas will also be without star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins while elite-level pass rusher Maxx Crosby isn’t fully healthy. That could give the Steelers the advantage in the trenches, allowing them to potentially run the ball well and get a win.
Las Vegas is allowing 131.8 yards per game on the ground, which is 10th worst in football. The opportunity should be there.
On paper, things look good for the Black and Gold. They have to go out and execute though, and that’s been a real issue the last two weeks. We’ll see if it changes.
