Early on in Sunday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Las Vegas Raiders got off to a fast start on offense, driving right down the field to score a touchdown on their opening drive with backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell piloting the offense.
It was a very concerning start for the Steelers’ vaunted defense as the Raiders had all the answers and never faced a third down on the drive.
After that, though, things fell apart for the Raiders, and turnovers were the biggest problem.
The Raiders turned the ball over 3 times and allowed a blocked punt, playing a huge factor in the 32-13 loss to the Steelers. After the game, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce blasted the turnovers from the offense, as well as the blocked punt on special teams, telling reporters that the Raiders don’t respect the football enough and don’t deserve a chance to put themselves in a position to win in a game like Sunday’s against the Steelers.
“I mean it starts with discipline, right? So, we have four penalties, but they were at critical moments. The turnover thing is embarrassing. We don’t respect the ball enough so we don’t even deserve a chance to put ourselves in position to win,” Pierce said of the turnovers, according to video via the Raiders’ YouTube page. “Details.”
Things were going relatively well for the Raiders with the change at quarterback. A 10-play, 70-yard drive ended in a touchdown to open the game, giving the Raiders a 7-3 lead. But after that, even with some momentum and positive vibes after the impressive opening drive, it went punt, punt and then a crucial fumble by backup running back Dylan Laube.
Steelers’ star pass rusher T.J. Watt punched the football out of Laube’s hands, setting up a 3-yard Justin Fields touchdown run and a 12-7 Steelers lead that they’d carry into halftime.
Then, there was the blocked punt early in the third quarter when Steelers outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon raced home untouched up the middle to block AJ Cole’s punt, setting up a Chris Boswell field goal and a 15-7 lead.
Not to be outdone, Raiders’ running back Ameer Abdullah later fumbled at the goal line on a play that would have made it 22-14. But instead — thanks to a Watt punchout — it stayed a 22-7 game and later become a 29-7 game after Steelers corner Donte Jackson picked off O’Connell, setting up a 7-yard Fields touchdown.
The ball security was awful for the Raiders on the day, and it rightfully drew the ire of Pierce. As a defensive head coach and former NFL linebacker and Super Bowl champion, he knows all too well how important it is to avoid turnovers on offense.
To watch his team lack ball security and ball awareness was frustrating, and it led directly to the 32-13 loss.
