Winners and losers from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday evening.
WINNERS
EDGE T.J. Watt
On a day where the offense was doing very little for the first 35 minutes, the defense and special teams had to provide splash and short fields for scoring opportunities. Watt did with his punchout against Raiders rookie RB Dylan Laube on his first career carry. Watt is always diligent at attacking the ball and not just going for the tackle. He proved it again in the fourth quarter, punching the ball out again on the goal line and recovered by SS DeShon Elliott.
The Raiders helped mute him as a pass rusher, but he impacted the run game with a tackle for loss. Just typical T.J. Watt stuff that makes him so great. He can impact the game in every way even when it doesn’t come as a pass rusher on a particular day.
RB Najee Harris
A big game for Harris, easily his best of the season. Pittsburgh needed him with a passing game going nowhere. It was a slow start, but Harris ran hard and could show up on Kyle Brandt’s “Angry Runs” list for a couple of his carries. His biggest play was a 36-yard touchdown run, Harris finding daylight when it looked like he was bottled up and diving over the goal line and into the end zone.
That will quiet the criticism that came after Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts. A reminder of what the best of Harris looks like.
EDGE Jeremiah Moon
Moon made his first Steelers start at outside linebacker. But it was what he did on special teams that mattered most. He ran free through the A-gap for a block on punter AJ Cole, who had never had one blocked in an NFL career that dates back to 2019.
Like Watt, the Steelers needed these impact plays to create short fields for the offense. It unfortunately led to just a field goal, but it was enough on a day like this.
SS DeShon Elliott
After a rough game last week, giving up two touchdowns that included the game-losing score, a nice outing from Elliott. Even versus Dallas, Elliott was a strong and sound tackler, and he carried that over today. He also scooped up Watt’s second punchout and maybe could’ve scored had he found his footing.
Game Plan Vs. TE Brock Bowers
Everyone knew the Raiders’ top and really only target was rookie TE Brock Bowers. He caught some RPOs and underneath throws and had one downfield catch negated by penalty, but overall, Pittsburgh took him away. Bowers got some garbage time receptions but for the first 50 minutes, he was quiet.
They used a variety of people, including CB Joey Porter Jr., to match up on him. Smart plan to treat him like a true No. 1 receiver because that’s what he was to the Raiders’ offense today.
WR Calvin Austin III
I’ll throw Austin on this list, too. Might not be the most obvious winner but he had a pair of third-down conversions down the field (20 and 16 yards) and a great fake-out on a punt return, calling for a fair catch and suckering the Raiders’ return team as the ball bounced behind and into the end zone.
DT Cam Heyward
Another classic Heyward game as continues to keep Father Time on the ropes. Heyward was especially good in the second half, consistently shedding blocks against the run. He picked up a sack and drew a holding call in this game. Another excellent showing. He’s not only been the Steelers’ best defensive lineman but one of the NFL’s best up front.
LOSERS
QB Justin Fields
On the scoreboard, Pittsburgh won comfortably. And Fields aided in those efforts in a sense, rushing for a key touchdown on a 4th and goal where play-action (surprise, surprise) failed, and Fields had to improvise. And he capped the game with a second rushing score on a designed play in the fourth quarter.
But as a passer, he was rough. More inaccurate in this game than any other this season, missing downfield and missing short. He struggled to get to the line, twice flagged for delay of game and he should’ve been a third time. He was bailed out of a terrible pick over the middle on a roughing-the-passer call; had the penalty not occurred, it felt like a real chance Russell Wilson would’ve come in during the second half.
It’s a win and I know that’s what Fields cares about the most. As he should. But I would call this his worst performance of the year as a passer and there is an open question about who will start in Week 7 against the New York Jets.
Offensive Penalties
Too much butt-kicking, especially early on. Penalties that repeatedly put Pittsburgh in “and long” situations. 1st and 19, 2nd and 16, 1st and 20, etc. Sometimes Pittsburgh found a way to get out of its jam but still, that’s not sustainable for most offenses and certainly not this Steelers iteration.
The team has talked a lot about cleaning things up. So far, they haven’t. I imagine RT Broderick Jones will be graded poorly by Pro Football Focus in this one.
Covering The Flat
A very narrow focus that became less of an issue over time, but the Steelers are still struggling covering the flat. The Raiders nearly scored on a simple bootleg on their first possession before punching it in shortly after. It wouldn’t make this list if it hasn’t also been a problem the past couple weeks and an area to address, though the defense settled in nicely after a poor opening drive.
