The Steelers had a few thousand fans in the stands at times during their games in 2020. They had a crowd of just over 45,000 at Heinz Field for their preseason game Aug. 21 against the Lions.
None of that figures to come close to the expectation of what's going to take place at Heinz Field today when the Steelers host the Raiders in their home opener with the stadium expected to be at full capacity and rocking.
Needless to say, the Steelers are excited.
Even Ben Roethlisberger has given some thought to what it will be like coming out of the tunnel with a packed house, something he hasn't been able to do since Week 2 of the 2019 season.
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JuJu Smith-Schuster signs autographs for fans at the Steelers' preseason game Aug. 21 at Heinz Field against the Lions.
Yeah, he got a chance to do it in the preseason, but that's not the same. In fact, Roethlisberger has previously said one of the reasons he returned for his team-record 18th season was to get that rush he gets entering a full Heinz Field.
"I don't want to think too much about it because it’d probably be too exciting so I'm trying to temper my excitement right now," said Roethlisberger, who needs three touchdown passes to become the eighth player in NFL history with 400 in his career.
That doesn't mean the Steelers aren't counting on what a capacity crowd could mean to their hopes to get to 2-0. They saw what a raucous crowd could do in their opener on the road last weekend, a 23-16 win at Buffalo.
The Steelers overcame an extremely slow start offensively -- they gained 54 yards while being shut out in the first half -- in what was the 36th fourth-quarter comeback of Roethlisberger's career. The Steelers scored on four consecutive second-half possessions in the second half against the Bills and did not punt.
They hope to carry that momentum over into this game. And a loud, hostile crowd would certainly help.
"It's our job to make the plays, to keep the crowd engaged, to entertain them, and to make it as hostile as we can make it," Mike Tomlin said. "We talked openly about that a week ago. We knew that if we made plays that we had an opportunity to kind of quell the environment that we were in. We didn't make enough plays early on. ... We didn't make the job easy for ourselves, and so we proceed with that understanding. We're excited about getting back into the comfort of Heinz Field and entertaining Steeler Nation, but we also are not running away from the responsibilities that come with playing at Heinz Field."
The Raiders (1-0) will present a challenge. Las Vegas upset the Ravens 33-27 in overtime Monday night in their home opener and have a history dating back to the 1970s of making things difficult on the Steelers. The Raiders lead the all-time series against the Steelers, 16-13, including winning five of their past seven meetings.
But the Steelers have won five of the seven meetings between the two at Heinz Field.
"I'm excited, super excited," said linebacker T.J. Watt. "It seems like my rookie year since I've seen fans at Heinz Field. I was jealous of the Bills last week for having their fans there. Hopefully, we can get it as loud as Heinz Field can possibly get."
To do that, the Steelers will have to control the game, likely with the defense, which was dominant at the line of scrimmage against the Bills.
The offense, with four rookie starters, continues to be a work in progress. But the defense looks once again to be one of the best in the league.
"They are going to be a challenge," said Raiders coach Jon Gruden. "They've obviously added (Joe) Schobert and Melvin Ingram, a couple really good veteran players to go with T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward. They're well-coached. Keith Butler does a great job, and they, too, are unorthodox. They present a lot of different looks, and we have our work cut out for us on a short week."
The Raiders have five players who won't play in this game because of injuries, and that doesn't include starting guard Denzelle Good, who was injured against the Ravens and placed on injured reserve.
But the Steelers have some issues of their own. Though they came out of the win over the Bills relatively healthy, linebacker Devin Bush and cornerback Joe Haden both suffered groin injuries in practice Friday, while tight end Zach Gentry injured his ankle.
With those injuries and starting running back Josh Jacobs one of the players who won't play, the Raiders figure to attack the Steelers through the air -- at least as much as possible.
Gruden is a sharp offensive mind and with the Steelers potentially missing two second-level starters, he'll likely try to exploit that.
"Gruden has no fear. He doesn’t," said Tomlin, who coached under Gruden when the latter was the head coach of the Buccaneers. "He looks at an issue or a problem, and he sees it as an opportunity. I worked for him for four years. You can't fake that. It’s every day from him."
That's why the Steelers want to start quick. It would limit exactly what Gruden can try, while putting pressure on Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to try to make plays.
And they want to give the home crowd plenty about which to cheer.
"I'm excited. I saw one thing that was like, Raider Nation we're about to have our black and silver on," Heyward said. "I'm like, that's not going to happen here. When you come here, it's black and gold all day. I'm excited to see it. It's been a while. I know we've missed it dearly. It's such an advantage as a defense when the offense can't hear, and they've got to waste a time out or they've got to take a penalty. We thrive for that."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Steelers (1-0) vs. Raiders (1-0)
• When: 1:02 p.m.
• Where: Heinz Field
• Forecast: 80°, 14 percent chance of rain, 6 mph winds
• TV: KDKA, CBS (national)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: Sirius XM 233, online 826
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Media notes: Steelers | Raiders
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: DT Carlos Davis (knee, out), CB Joe Haden (groin, questionable), LB Devin Bush (groin, questionable), TE Zach Gentry (ankle, questionable)
Raiders: G Richie Incognito (calf, out), RB Josh Jacobs (toe/ankle, out), LB Nick Kwiatkowski (concussion, out), QB Marcus Mariota (quad, out), S Roderic Teamer (ankle, out), DE Carl Nassib (pectoral/toe, questionable), DE Yannick Ngakoue (hamstring, questionable), DT Darius Philon (knee, questionable)
THE KEY VARIABLE
The Steelers have led the NFL in sacks in each of the past four seasons and have a streak of 74 consecutive games with a sack, both of which are league records.
But they took their pressure packages to a different level last week in the win over the Bills. The Steelers blitzed just one time in the game, the fewest in the league in Week 1.
What in the name of Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd is going on?
Against the Bills, the Steelers rushed four players time after time and got pressure on Bills quarterback Josh Allen. The Raiders definitely took notice.
Watt -- the newly minted highest-paid defensive player in the league -- is obviously the headliner, but the Steelers' pass rush is more than just him.
"Whether you hold it for one second or you hold it for eight, they are not going to stop," Carr said. "The one thing I do know is the guys that are playing alongside of him on that front make it really hard also. You can tell they are a very unselfish group. Whoever makes the play they are all celebrating each other and all those kinds of things, so you can tell that bond is special and they all know they can all eat because the other guy does his job."
A lot of focus in Pittsburgh has been on the Steelers' revamped offensive line. But the Raiders also completely revamped their offensive line in the offseason, with left tackle Kolton Miller being the lone returning full-time starter. The Raiders have a rookie, Alex Leatherwood starting a right tackle.
The Steelers got after Allen with that four-man pass rush. But it doesn't mean that's all they can do. They've traditionally been one of the highest-blitzing teams in the NFL.
They still have the ability to do that -- if they so choose.
"We’re going to do what we can," Butler said. "The game plan is gonna change every week. Sometimes we’re gonna blitz and sometimes we’re not. We like our four-man rush. We think it’s been pretty good. We blitzed a little bit last year. It helped us out. We ended up leading the League the last three or four years in sacks. We’ve got to keep doing that. We’ve got to keep putting pressure on the quarterback as much as we can."
THE HISTORY LESSON
Everyone knows the Steelers and Raiders met in the playoffs in 1972. But did you know that was their second meeting that season before the most famous play in NFL history happened in the rematch later that year?
Oakland traveled to Pittsburgh to open the 1972 season with the Raiders coming off an 8-4-2 record and the Steelers still trying to get over the hump in Chuck Noll's fourth season as head coach.
The Steelers had been 6-8 in 1971, so the Raiders presented a good opponent against which they could measure themselves and perhaps announce that they weren't going to be a pushover any longer. And they wasted no time in showing the world they were going to be a problem.
Henry Davis returned a blocked punt five yards for a touchdown before Terry Bradshaw scored on a 20-yard run to give the Steelers a 14-0 first quarter lead.
The Steelers extended their lead to 17-0 in the second quarter on a 48-yard Roy Gerela field goal -- a lengthy distance for the day -- before Oakland finally got on the board on a 26-yard touchdown pass from George Blanda -- who would also kick the PAT -- to Raymond Chester.
Another Gerela field goal and a second Bradshaw touchdown run -- this one from 2 yards out -- gave the Steelers a 27-7 lead entering the fourth quarter before Daryle Lamonica nearly brought Oakland storming back.
Lamonica threw two touchdown passes to Mike Siani and the Raiders also got a 1-yard touchdown run from Don Highsmith. But Bradshaw put the game away with a 57-yard TD pass to Ron Shanklin as the Steelers held on for a 34-28 win.
Bradshaw was just 7 of 17 for 124 yards with three interceptions, but scrambled seven times for 49 yards and the two touchdowns. Preston Pearson rushed for 54 yards on 18 carries, while rookie Franco Harris had 28 yards on 10 carries in his NFL debut.
But the Raiders were even more disjointed offensively, using three quarterbacks. Blanda finished 4 of 11 for 64 yards and a touchdown, while Ken Stabler was just 5 of 12 for 54 yards and three interceptions. Lamonica had the most success, completing 8-of-10 passes for 172 yards and the two scores in the fourth quarter.
But Oakland also lost two fumbles -- in addition to the blocked punt -- essentially turning the ball over six times.
The Steelers would lose two of their next three games after stunning the Raiders, falling to the Bengals and Cowboys while beating the Cardinals, before finishing the season by winning nine of their final 10 games to reach the postseason for the first time since 1947 and just the second time in their history.
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Minkah Fitzpatrick.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
There seems to be a feeling among some fans that the Steelers struggle defending opposing tight ends. That's just not the case -- at least it hasn't been the past two seasons.
Last season, the Steelers allowed 64 receptions for 638 yards and three touchdowns to opposing tight ends. That was the third-fewest catches, the second-fewest yards and fewest touchdowns to the position in the NFL.
That wasn't that different than 2019, when they allowed 65 catches for 669 yards and eight touchdowns.
But Las Vegas tight end Darren Waller isn't just any tight end.
Waller got 19 targets in the Raiders' overtime win over the Ravens last week, catching 10 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. If Waller gains at least 100 receiving yards against the Steelers, he'll become the first tight end to reach the 100-yard mark in five consecutive games.
Stopping or slowing Waller -- especially without Bush and or Haden if either are hobbled -- will be a team job.
"We’re gonna do a lot of things against Waller," Butler said. "We’ve got some versatile guys in the back end and we’re going to use them."
The key is not treating Waller like a tight end, even though he is 6-foot-6 and over 250 pounds. The Raiders don't ask Waller to do a lot of blocking.
"I wouldn’t ask him to block if I was them," Butler conceded. "But they will, they’ll ask him to do some. That’s not what he does best, though."
What he does best is catch the football as the No. 1 receiver.
Over his last 10 games, Waller is averaging 10.3 targets , 7.2 receptions and 92.9. that's No. 1 receiver-type stuff. No wonder Gruden called him, "the best player he's ever coached."
That might be a bit of a stretch, considering Gruden coached Jerry Rice and a handful of other Hall of Fame players. But there's no doubt Waller is a handful.
"You can describe him as a tight end, but I think that that seems less than appropriate, to be honest with you," Tomlin said. "That's putting him in a box. This guy's a dynamic, big athlete. I'm watching the game last night and looking at his measurables; man, he's more similar to [Chase] Claypool than he is any tight end that we have on our roster in terms of measurables and fluidity of movement and body control.
"So, we’d better respect him in that vein. I think people that are unfamiliar with those guys try to treat him like a tight end and maybe cover him the way you would cover normal tight ends. You're really setting yourself up for a long evening, not only in terms of his talents but just his role."
That means it's not likely the Steelers will count on linebackers to cover Waller. They'll devote cornerbacks and safeties to do it since using a linebacker to do so is often folly.
That's been the Steelers' main plan for tight ends, with strong safety Terrell Edmunds and Bush being the two primary tight end defenders. They've been pretty consistent in that regard over the last couple of seasons -- though Bush missed the final 11 games of 2020.
The key might be free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Steelers brought him to the line of scrimmage about half the time against the Bills last week, either to play in the slot or serve as the nickel cornerback.
Anything to keep giving the offense different looks.
"The key to try to mess with the quarterback a little bit," Butler said in terms of the looks they'll give against Waller. "We’re not trying to over-think this thing, but at the same time, we know what they’re looking at too. The quarterback’s still gonna keep his same reads, so hopefully we can give them a little bit of problems in terms of what they’re looking at."
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• Roethlisberger has passed for 1,550 yards (310 per game) and 12 TDs vs. 3 INTs for 105.2 rating in his past five games against the Raiders. Roethlisberger had 18 TDs and just 3 interceptions in eight regular season home starts last season.
• Watt had 16 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks and two forced fumbles at home last season.
• Since 1990, 62.7 percent of the teams that began the season 2-0 made the playoffs. With the expansion to 14 playoff teams in 2020, nine of the 14 playoff teams opened 2-0.
• Watt and his brother, J.J., now have combined for 152.5 career sacks. They need 1.5 sacks to tie Howie and Chris Long (154) for second-most by family members in NFL history. Clay Matthews and son Clay Matthews are the all-time leaders with 161.
• Tomlin's teams have been an underdog 58 times in the regular season after last week's win over the Bills. They’ve covered 66.1 percent of those. They’ve won outright 30 of those 58 games.
• Diontae Johnson has seen double-digit targets in 11 of his last 15 games where he played more than 25 percent of the snaps, including 10 last week.
• Just five of Roethlisberger's 32 pass attempts last week traveled 15 or more yards in the air.
• The Steelers (1) and Raiders (3) had the fewest blitzes when the opponent was passing in Week 1 in the NFL.
• The Steelers are 51-34-3 (.597) in home openers, including 11-3 (.786) under Tomlin.
THE FANTASY CORNER
If you were in my lineup in Week 1, well, things didn't go well for you, highlighted by my Aaron Rodgers-Davante Adams stack (ouch!). Travis Kelce and Ty'son Williams were fine, but the rest was pretty bad as I scored just 93.02 points. Better days are ahead. As I did last year, I'm going to build a fantasy lineup using Draft Kings and a $50,000 salary cap.
Quarterback: Justin Herbert, Chargers ($6,700) -- You're going to see a trend here as I'm going to start as many players as possible in the Chargers-Cowboys game. Herbert is $100 cheaper than Dak Prescott. I'll save the $100.
Running back: Austin Ekeler ($7,300), Javonte Williams, Broncos ($4,300) -- I almost went with Najee Harris here again this week because he was something of a bargain at $6,300 and I think he'll do well. But I'm going all-in on the Chargers-Cowboys. And Williams got 14 carries last week. He'll have success against the Jaguars.
Wide receiver: Mike Williams Chargers ($6,100), Mike Evans, Bucs ($6,100), CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys ($6,400) -- Williams had 12 targets last week and is being used like Michael Thomas was in New Orleans. He could be a breakout star. Lamb comes in on the other side of the Cowboys-Chargers game. Evans was the odd man out in the Tampa Bay passing attack last week, which means Tom Brady rectifies that this week and looks his way early and often.
Tight end: Jared Cook, Chargers ($3,900) -- Cook is the defacto No. 3 receiver for the Chargers. He got 8 targets in Week 1.
Flex: Chris Carson, Seahawks ($6,100) -- Carson's a nice value against a Titans defense that got torched last week.
Defense: Steelers ($3,000) -- This is just way too cheap for the Steelers defense at home. They should post at least four sacks.
