OAKLAND, Calif. -- Sunday just might have been the Steelers' final trip to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
At least that has to be their hope.
The stadium, known as "The Black Hole," claimed yet another victim as the Steelers found yet another way to lose to the Raiders here.
This time it was Ben Roethlisberger suffering a rib injury in the second quarter, returning in the fourth quarter to lead a furious comeback. But it was all for naught, as the defense gave the lead back.
Finally, adding the topping to it all was Chris Boswell missing his second field goal of the game, this one after a beautifully executed hook-and-ladder with 15 seconds remaining gave the Steelers at chance to tie it.
The end result was no different than previous trips to Oakland, as the Steelers dropped a 24-21 decision in their personal house of horrors.
The loss was the Steelers' third in a row and gave the AFC West a sweep of them this season, as the Steelers fell to the Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers and Raiders by a combined total of 18 points, accounting for four of their five defeats.
"Tough outcome," said Mike Tomlin. "But it's nothing mystical. It's not something that's happened to us. It's something that we created and we take responsibility for that. We didn't make enough plays to win the game. We've got to make plays, and not only at the end of the game, just throughout the game. (We're not) making enough significant plays, not taking advantage of opportunities, and we've got to look at all aspects of what we're doing."
These were games the Steelers (7-5-1) won last season when they went 8-2 in games decided by a touchdown or less. Now, it seems this team has not only lost its past three games, it's lost its ability to close out games -- both at home and on the road.
Three weeks ago, it was a damaging loss in Denver in which Roethlisberger was intercepted in the end zone at the end of a 24-17 loss. Last week at Heinz Field, it was Phillip Rivers leading a late field goal drive to hand the Steelers a 33-30 loss to the Chargers.
This one? It had a little bit of everything, from offensive failures -- mostly when Roethlisberger was standing on the sideline -- to a late defensive collapse, to Boswell slipping to the ground while trying to tie the game with five seconds remaining.
The result is a three-game losing streak that has followed a six-game winning streak.
"We need to keep doing what we're doing," said Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey. "We won six games in a row and there was nothing to re-assess at that point. This is football. Guys win and lose."
The only consolation for the Steelers was the Ravens (7-6) also went down in Kansas City in overtime. That means the Steelers still maintain a half-game lead in the AFC North standings. They also now only maintain a half-game lead in the wildcard race, as well, something definitely now in play following this loss.
"It's a tough way to lose, it really is," said All-Pro guard David DeCastro. "I can't put my finger on why. We still have everything still in front of us. We still lead the division. But it's been brutal. We've only got a few more games left. It's come down to this. We've got to muster up some energy."
Energy hasn't seemed to have been the problem as the Steelers have played well in stretches. But they haven't been able to overcome their own mistakes that have come at crucial times.
Sunday, it was the defense allowing a big play at inopportune moments.
Playing without Roethlisberger to start the second half, the Steelers kept the Raiders off the board in the third quarter to maintain a 14-10 lead.
But Roethlisberger's replacement, Josh Dobbs, was unable to generate any offense, either, and wasn't helped by a rushing game that looked punchless without James Conner, who was out with an ankle injury.
The Steelers ran for just 40 yards on 19 carries, with Jaylen Samuels gaining 28 yards on 11 carries and Stevan Ridley picking up four yards on five carries, though he did score a second quarter touchdown.
Derek Carr finally broke through with 5:25 remaining in the game, throwing a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lee Smith to finish off a 73-yard drive that put the Raiders ahead 17-14.
That got Roethlisberger back into the game and the quarterback didn't disappoint, completing all six of his passes on a 75-yard scoring drive that was finished off with a touchdown to JuJu Smith-Schuster, his second of the game. Smith-Schuster caught eight passes for 130 yards.
Trailing 21-17, the Raiders took over at their own 25 and Carr quickly moved them to midfield. Coming out of the two-minute warning, he hit this pass to receiver Seth Roberts for a 39-yard gain between safeties Terrell Edmunds and Morgan Burnett.
That put the ball at the Steelers 7 and after a first-down run picked up just one yard, the Raiders threw into the end zone twice, with Mike Hilton forcing a bad throw on second down and Burnett breaking up a pass on third down.
Down to their final play with 25 seconds remaining, the Raiders dialed up this call to Derek Carrier:
"Yeah, I did," said Hilton, when asked if he slipped on the play. "But I still have to find ways to make a play."
With 15 seconds -- and a timeout remaining -- the Steelers ran a hook and ladder play to James Washington, with Smith-Schuster coming around to take the lateral from the rookie. It worked to perfection, as Smith-Schuster got the ball to the Oakland 22 before being forced out of bounds with five seconds remaining.
That set the stage for Boswell, who had earlier missed a 39-yard attempt wide right in the first half.
This one never had a chance, as he slid past the ball with his plant foot and landed on his backside, kicking the ball into the back of guard Ramon Foster and touching off a celebration on the Oakland sideline.
"It's been a frustrating last month," said DeCastro. "We look a little tired and a little ornery, out of energy, like we're sleepwalking a little bit. We've got to come back. We've got three games left. We've got to go.
"We've got to get it turned around or it's going to be three more games and that's it. This was a big game. Everyone knew that. We'll see what this team is made of. We really will."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GAME BALLS
My top three performers:
1. Derek Carr
Raiders quarterback
Carr was 12 of 18 in the fourth quarter for 141 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Raiders from behind twice. He finished the game 25 of 34 for 322 yards and two touchdowns. His only blemish in the game was a fumble he lost in the second half without being hit.
2. Ben Roethlisberger
Steelers quarterback
Despite sitting out for nearly 25 minutes in the second half, Roethlisberger was 25 of 29 for 282 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
3. Tahir Whitehead
Raiders linebacker
Whitehead recorded a game-high 10 tackles and also had an interception of Josh Dobbs at the end of the third quarter, setting up Oakland's first go-ahead touchdown. He finished with a pair of passes defended, as well.
THE GOOD
Roethlisberger and the passing game were clicking when needed. Despite sitting out for nearly the entire second half, Roethlisberger was nearly flawless, with only a pass broken up in the end zone by safety Karl Joseph being his only really bad throw.
Roethlisberger saved his best for last, going 6-for-6 after re-entering the game with 5:20 remaining and leading the Steelers on a 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 1-yard TD pass to Smith-Schuster.
He then completed his final pass, a 10-yarder, to James Washington, who lateraled the ball to Smith-Schuster, who ran 43 yards to the Oakland 22 with five seconds remaining.
"You can chuck it down the field with plays like that," said Roethlisberger of the hook-and-lateral. "But it's kind of a trick-them-type-of-thing. Obviously, it worked."
Not quite well enough. The Steelers didn't score a touchdown -- as Miami had earlier in the day on a similar play -- and Boswell slipped while attempting a potential game-tying kick that would have sent this one to overtime.
THE BAD
After allowing a touchdown on the game's opening possession, the Steelers limited the Raiders to 126 total yards and one field goal entering the fourth quarter.
The Raiders then posted 146 yards on their final two possessions, scoring touchdowns on both, with Carr producing all but five of that in the passing game.
"We had plenty of chances to get off the field," said Hilton. "We didn't capitalize and they won."
One such play came in the second quarter after the Steelers had tied the game at 7-7 on a Ridley touchdown run.
The Raiders drove to the Pittsburgh 26 and then this happened:
Receiver Jordy Nelson slipped and Hilton had the pass in his hands. He dropped it and the Raiders instead kicked a 44-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead.
Hilton did have a fumble recovery in the third quarter when the ball slipped out of Carr's hand, but the Steelers continue to allow opponents to escape their mistakes.
And for the second consecutive week, they allowed an opponent's offense to come alive in the fourth quarter.
"We've got to keep banging on the door. We've got to find ways to succeed," defensive end Cam Heyward said. "It's just we're not finding ways to win the game. The best way to be a good defense is to get off the field and we're not getting off the field. They converted the plays when they needed them.
"(The offense) got us enough points. We didn't reach our goals. It's as simple as that."
THE PLAY
The Raiders had just one sack in this game, but it was a big one, coming on a third-and-nine play with the Steelers at the Oakland 15.
Defensive lineman Clinton McDonald gets off his initial block by Pouncey, loops from his spot on the left interior through a hole created when Ramon Foster picks up the initial block, and runs his man past Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger took a big hit and was slow to get up after the play. He was later diagnosed with a rib injury.
To make matters worse, Boswell then pushed the ensuing field goal attempt from 39 yards wide right.
At the time, it didn't seem like a huge deal. But Roethlisberger played the next series and then left the field with 10 seconds remaining with a team doctor, not returning to the game until 5:22 remained.
"I was just waiting for coach to tell me when to go," Roethlisberger said.
THE OTHER SIDE
"The kicker (Boswell), don't get me wrong, I'm glad we won, but I feel bad for him," said Raiders tight end Lee Smith, who caught the first of two touchdown passes from Carr in the fourth quarter. "That's not a great way to win. He's going to have a long flight back to Pittsburgh. But any field in the NFL, the game of football, we've been on it for weeks and weeks. I'm sure if you go back and look at it, there was probably a short-yardage play right around there, maybe some running plays right there. The field goal chewed up. When we're not playing on dirt out there, there's nothing to complain about. As long as it's grass, you won't hear us complain about the field conditions. I'm sure it was just a freak deal."
THE INJURY UPDATE
• Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback, left the field moments after throwing a 1-yard touchdown pass to Smith-Schuster with 10 seconds remaining in the first half and headed to the locker room. He was diagnosed with a rib injury. He returned to the game with 5:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
• Marcus Gilbert, right tackle, did not play for the eighth time this season and seventh game in a row because of a knee injury.
• James Conner, running back, sat out this game with an ankle injury.
THE SCHEDULE
The Steelers are off on Monday and won't have any availability until Wednesday as they prepare to face the Patriots at Heinz Field Sunday. The next scheduled event is Tomlin's press conference Tuesday at noon. I'll have coverage.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our Steelers team page for everything from this game.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers at Raiders, Oakland, Calif., Dec. 9, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS