LAS VEGAS -- The Steelers are reeling. After starting the season 3-0, they've dropped back-to-back games that could have been won. Now, they're flying to the West Coast for another game that should wind up with a notch in the win column. But, that's why the games are played. And, while the Raiders appear to be a lesser team, there are ways to fumble this opportunity.
Here's a snapshot of what Las Vegas brings into Week 6:
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Record: 2-3
Standing: Fourth, AFC West
Last result: Lost to Broncos, 34-18
THE TREND
The Raiders are in transition. Last season, the team finished 8-9, but only after ownership opted to fire head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler after a Week 8 loss to the Lions that dropped the team to 3-5. Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce became interim head coach and went 5-4 the rest of the way.
Pierce was retained and made the full-time head coach of the team. But, the roster remains in flux, especially at quarterback. Aidan O'Connell was made the starter in 2023 after Pierce assumed head coaching responsibilities, and he was kept in the mix as the franchise moved on from Jimmy Garoppolo and brought in Gardner Minshew, who was given a spot in the Pro Bowl with the Colts last season.
The offense has a star at receiver and some exciting talent, but lacks firepower, a running game and consistent quarterback play as Pierce just benched Minshew in favor of O'Connell this week. The defense has one of the game's best edge rushers and some disruptive talent, but is banged up and also lacks the ability to shut teams down.
This Raiders team is combustible. They have the ability to rise up against strong opponents, as they upset the Ravens in Baltimore, 26-23, in Week 2. But, they've also lost to the lowly Panthers, 36-22. They've been up and down every week, in fact, so you never know what you're going to get.
THE QUARTERBACK
Pierce benched Minshew during last week's 34-18 loss to the Broncos in favor of O'Connell, and he's sticking with the second-year quarterback to face the Steelers.
O'Connell was selected by the Raiders in the fourth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Purdue. In the 10 games he started last season, he went 5-5, and wound up completing 62.1% of his passes for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions, a passer rating of 83.9. To this point of the 2024 season, O'Connell has completed 59.4% of his passes for 176 yards, just 5.5 yards per attempt, for one touchdown and one interception. That's a passer rating of just 71.9.
Just because O'Connell is an unknown doesn't mean he can't hurt defenses. One thing that stands out is his willingness to stand in pockets as they are collapsing while trying to let plays develop. That's a wonderful trait for a young quarterback. In addition, O'Connell has plenty of arm talent, which was on display even last week against the Broncos:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) October 12, 2024
Based off data from both last season and the limited snaps he's played this season, O'Connell profiles as a guy with a low ceiling but a high floor. There won't be a ton of spectacular. Last year, according to Pro Football Focus, he made 12 big-time throws while making 10 turnover-worthy plays. This season, he has one of each. His accuracy can also be a bit questionable, as his completion percentage above expected is currently -4.0%, which ranks 33rd of 38 quarterbacks that have played at least 35 snaps this season.
But, O'Connell doesn't make a ton of boneheaded mistakes, either. The Steelers need to find ways to get him off rhythm. There should be opportunity for that as O'Connell's average time to throw last season was 2.8 seconds, and last week he averaged 3.31 seconds.
THE OFFENSE
Regardless of who's at quarterback, the Raiders' offense has serious limitations. But, they also have some intriguing talent.
Perhaps one of the more interesting pieces of the offense centers around a pair of young tight ends, Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. Any team that likes to use multiple tight ends would love to have these two. Bowers is the team's leader in receptions and receiving yards, and he shares the lead in targets and first-down receptions. However, Mayer is currently away from the team tending to a personal matter, so the Steelers won't have to prepare for a dynamic duo at tight end.
The Steelers also won't have to deal with the Raiders' best player, Davante Adams. The star receiver is nearing the end of his prognosis for a hamstring injury, but won't suit up Sunday. Even if he could play, the situation between the Raiders and Adams has gotten to the point in which Adams has told the team he prefers to the traded and the team has fielded phone calls about potential trades. Either way, the Steelers will be fortunate to not have to cover a guy that can do this to just about any cornerback in the league:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) October 12, 2024
The rest of the receiving corps isn't much to be afraid of. Jakobi Meyers is a solid receiver, but he's questionable for this game. As is Zamir White, who's the primary option out of a lackluster backfield. The latter would impact the Raiders where they are weakest: Running the football.
The Raiders rank 21st with 5.0 yards per play, 16th with 213.0 passing yards per game, 30th with 84.0 rushing yards per game, 23rd with 19.2 points per game, ad 22nd with a 35.9 third-down percentage. They also rank 29th in EPA per play, 23rd in success rate, 25th in dropback EPA, 14th in dropback success rate, and are dead last in rush EPA and rush success rate. In other words, this is a bad offense that is worse than everyone else in football at running the ball.
THE DEFENSE
Everything on the defensive side of the ball for the Raiders begins with Maxx Crosby. This is one of the league's premier edge rushers, and deserves to be in the same conversation with guys such as T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons.
Crosby is an elite pass rusher that can rush from multiple spots up front. But, due to his incredible athleticism, he's also a solid run defender and can wreak all kinds of havoc in the backfield:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) October 12, 2024
Tyree Wilson lines up opposite Crosby on the edge, and he's a solid player in his own right. As is Christian Wilkins on the interior up front, but he just went of injured reserve this week, a massive blow to what the Raiders can do in the trenches. Robert Spillane leads the charge on the second level, and he's still as stout of a run defender as he was in Pittsburgh. But, he's still a liability in coverage.
The secondary is also missing a key player as safety Marcus Epps is on injured reserve. Isaiah Pola-Mao is having a solid season at strong safety, but the rest of the secondary just isn't anything that's going to scare defenses. This is a unit that has just two interceptions in five games, the only two takeaways all season. That's the lowest total in the NFL, shared with the Titans, Jaguars and Eagles.
I said it last week, but I'll say it again because it applies: If the Steelers can't run the ball this week, something has to change. Wilkins is missing up front, and the Raiders are allowing 131.8 rushing yards per games, 22nd in the NFL. They also rank 28th in rush EPA against and 24th in rush success rate against. This is not a good run defense. If the Steelers can't run the ball on them, this could be a long, long season for Pittsburgh's offense.
THE SPECIAL TEAMS
Daniel Carlson is the Raiders' placekicker, and he's made 8 of 10 field goal attempts this season with a long of 53 yards. He made second team All-Pro in 2021 and first team All-Pro the next season. He's one of the better ones in the league. A.J. Cole III remains the Raiders' punter and perhaps the best in the game. He's coming off three straight seasons in which he's been named All-Pro, two times as a first-teamer (2021, 2023). Four different players have been utilized in the return game: WR Tre Tucker, RB Ameer Abdullah, WR Tyreik McAllister, WR DJ Turner.
THE INJURY REPORT
• Davante Adams, WR (hamstring) -- Adams expectedly did not practice at all this week and will miss Sunday's game.
• Michael Mayer, TE (personal) -- Mayer has missed the last two games due to a personal matter, and was placed on the non-football illness list on Friday, meaning he's going to miss the next four games, too.
• Maxx Crosby, EDGE (ankle) -- Crosby did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday and was limited Friday, but did not have a game designation, so he's cleared to play. Still something to monitor in game.
• Tommy Eichenberg, LB (hamstring) -- Eichenberg was limited Wednesday and then did not practice Thursday or Friday. He's been officially listed as questionable, but ending the week on two straight days of not practicing sure isn't a good sign for him. Eichenberg is Spillane's backup at Mike linebacker.
• Jakobi Meyers, WR (ankle) -- Meyers is hobbled with an ankle injury, and did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. However, he managed to be at least a limited participant Friday, opening the door for a potential start. He's officially questionable. Should he not be able to go, Tucker and McAllister would likely see more targets at receiver.
• Thayer Munford Jr., OT (knee/ankle) -- Munford was limited all week with knee and ankle issues, drawing a questionable status for Sunday. He's the Raiders' starting right tackle. Should he not be able to go, DJ Glaze would likely start in his place.
• Jackson Powers-Johnson, G (knee) -- Powers-Johnson did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, but was able to be a limited participant on Friday. The rookie is officially questionable. Powers-Johnson has started the past two games at left guard. Should he not be able to play, Cody Whitehair would get the start.
• Zamir White, RB (groin) -- Same as Meyers and Powers-Johnson, White did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, but was able to be a limited participant on Friday. A running back dealing with a groin issue is always suspicious. His status for Sunday is questionable. If he can't play, Alexander Mattison would get a larger workload in the Las Vegas backfield.
• Trey Taylor, S (knee) -- Taylor is working his way back from being placed on injured reserve prior to the start of the season. He was officially returned to practice on Oct. 2, meaning the Raiders have until Oct. 23 to activate him or he remains on IR for the remainder of the season. After being limited Wednesday and then practicing fully on Thursday and Friday, Taylor is officially questionable for Sunday. We'll see if he gets activated.
Players on injured reserve:
• Christian Wilkins, DT (foot)
• Marcus Epps, S (knee)
• Jeff Foreman, WR (knee)
• Tomari Fox, DT (undisclosed)
• Jake Johanning, G (undisclosed)
• Malcolm Koonce, DE (knee)
• Luke Masterson, LB (knee)
QUOTABLE
"Obviously they're a great defense, great team. They've had the same head coach for a long time. Offensively we're going to have to take what they give us. Make sure that I'm being smart with the ball. I'm just trying to put our guys in the best position to execute and have positive plays. I think that is going to be the big thing, be consistent and have positive plays." -- Aidan O'Connell on playing the Steelers
"Just play smart football. Just play smart. Try to be in good position to put pressure on them. We have to do that for 60 minutes." -- Defensive tackle Adam Butler on how to succeed against a mobile quarterback such as Justin Fields
"When I was playing, he was coaching, and he's been winning, he's been winning. He's winning. He just wins. He wins. I know we always judge him on championships, but each and every year to have a winning season, to get a team ready to play their style of play, their identity, right? You know what Steelers football looks like. That's hats off to him. ... He was a young coach when he took over, and all he's done and matured into probably one of the greatest coaches in this game." -- Antonio Pierce on his respect for Mike Tomlin
"Leaving them has only [added] to the chip on my shoulder ... They had a chance to bring me back in free agency but I'm here now and I'm so thankful to be a Raider and I look forward to bringing it to them on Sunday." -- Robert Spillane on playing the Steelers