Steelers @ Raiders
Graham Tiedtke
The high-powered Pittsburgh Steelers head into Oakland to face the Raiders. Oakland has had a very unfortunate season in the first year of head coach Jon Gruden’s second stint with the team.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh will be without running back James Conner for the game. That won’t be a problem for the Steelers though. They still have Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, don’t they? Yes.
As long as the Steelers have at least two of their three top playmakers on offense, they should win any game against a team as bad as the Raiders.
Steelers 38, Raiders 13
Baylor Bradac
The Steelers take a trip to the Black Hole to face the Raiders. The Steelers have struggled as of late, dropping their last two games, and are losing their Lead in the AFC North, and their position in the playoffs is by no means safe. This game is a must win for the Steelers, but Oakland is not an easy place to play.
Pittsburgh has a top-five offense because of its dangerous passing attack, and its defense is nothing to scoff at. They only a 37 percent conversion rate on third down, and average over three sacks a game. Oakland’s defense is allowing close to 400 yards per game of total offense, while only averaging just shy of 350 ypg of their own.
This is the third straight AFC West matchup for the Steelers, and they are 0-2 in the previous games. In both of those games, Ben Roethlisberger and his offense put up big yardage, and ultimately lost due to turnovers. If the Raiders can pressure Ben into making mistakes, they just might stand a chance.
The Steelers should walk away with this one, but I don’t think it’ll be as easy as some believe.
Steelers 24, Raiders 17
Matt Geving
After a tough loss to the Chargers, the Pittsburgh Steelers look to get back to what works as they go into Oakland.
Even though the Raiders are 2-10, they put up a good fight last week vs Kansas City. They will do the same in the first half vs the Steelers.
Derek Carr will throw three touchdowns and keep the Raiders moving. Unfortunately for them, Pittsburgh will also find there rhythm against a bad Raiders defense. While the Raiders will cool off in the second half, the Steelers will put up a dominant performance.
Steelers 41, Raiders 21