Can Raiders Pick Up the Pieces and Steal a Win Against the Steelers?

The Las Vegas Raiders were well on their way to a second consecutive win before everything went wrong last Sunday. Can the Silver and Black bounce back against the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Sep 24, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) attempts to catch the ball against Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson (20) at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have already overcome their fair share of obstacles this season. However, more obstacles have already started coming for the Raiders.

Ben Rolfe of Pro Football Network recently released projections for this weekend’s NFL games, and it does not look good for the Silver and Black.

The Steelers’ strengths are essentially the Raiders' weaknesses, especially the injury-riddled defense the Raiders now possess. Rolfe noted that the Steelers and the Raiders are coming off brutal losses.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a brutal loss to the Dallas Cowboys in a weather-affected game on Sunday Night Football,” Rolfe said. “However, that is now two close losses to teams that are not as good as them, and that raises eyebrows.

“We all knew that Pittsburgh’s 3-0 start was a little too good to be true, and two close losses don’t change that. However, sitting 15th in net EPA per game is very indicative of just who they are as a team.”

While Rolfe was not confident in Pittsburgh’s undefeated start, he is also not a believer in the Raiders’ chances against the Steelers. Rolfe noted that the Raiders are bad on both sides of the ball, as both units rank as one of the worst in the National Football League.

“The Raiders are bad, and there is no real way of hiding that,” Rolfe said. “They were reckless at times against the Denver Broncos and paid the price. Ultimately, Las Vegas turned to Aiden O’Connell at quarterback, and it will be interesting to see what they do at the position this week. Either way, they are going to struggle to turn around a 27th-ranked offense in EPA per game, and their below-average defense won’t save them.

"This should be a perfect bounce-back spot for the Steelers. Their defense should be able to stifle the Raiders’ offense, and they should be able to move the ball against that defense. Laying three points on the road with Justin Fields isn’t fun, but it’s the only play that would make sense here. Prediction: Steelers 20, Raiders 13.”

The Raiders’ defense is a shell of itself, as the unit is missing multiple critical players. While the offense technically struggled against the Broncos, the unit did show some promise. The Raiders can no longer depend on a defense missing multiple starters on it with every game. Sooner or later, the Raiders offense must find a way to play to its best for 60 minutes.

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