It sure wasn't the prettiest performance, but the Steelers earned their first win of the season Monday night against the Browns. Now, they move on to another primetime matchup, as they go on the road for the first time this season to take on the Raiders on Sunday Night Football.
Here's a snapshot of what Las Vegas brings into Week 3:
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Record: 1-1
Standing: First, AFC West
Last result: Lost to Bills, 38-10
THE TREND
There wasn't many expecting the Raiders to do much heading into the 2023 season. They're in a stacked division. The Chiefs are the reigning champions, the Chargers are a playoff caliber team and the Broncos are poised for improvement under head coach Sean Payton (although that 0-2 start is pretty underwhelming).
However, that didn't stop the Raiders from starting the season with a 17-16 upset over the Broncos in Denver, coming back from down six points in the fourth quarter. Any momentum or excitement completely vanished in Week 2 when the Bills walloped them in a 28-point defeat.
"I've got to do a better job and get our football team to do more things right if we're going to compete against teams like this in this type of an environment," said head coach Josh McDaniels after the loss to the Bills. "A lot of work to do and a lot of lessons to learn."
The Raiders are now finally playing at home. However, their biggest issue so far has been a nonexistent running game. Josh Jacobs led the NFL in rushing yards last season, but has only 46 yards on 28 carries through two games, including nine carries for -2 yards in the loss to Buffalo. That's even more alarming than the Steelers' shortcomings on the ground.
THE QUARTERBACK
After an underwhelming 6-11 finish in 2022, the Raiders decided to make a change at quarterback during the offseason. Derek Carr moved on to join the Saints, and the Raiders began a new era by bringing in Jimmy Garoppolo, who has familiarity with McDaniels from their time together in New England.
In theory, Garoppolo will be a better fit in McDaniels' system. And, despite any criticism he gets in the national media, Garoppolo has been a rather efficient passer throughout his career. He's got a career 99.3 passer rating and 67.7 completion percentage in 76 games.
And, no matter where he plays, Garoppolo seems to win. Believe it or not, he's got a 41-18 record as a starter. And, he can find different ways to do it:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSvideos) September 20, 2023
A 1-1 start is certainly encouraging for this Raiders team. But, Garoppolo's performance thus far has been pretty mediocre. He's got only 385 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions thus far.
And, with the running game struggling early on, the Raiders will need more from their new quarterback. Otherwise, this could end up being a long season.
THE OFFENSE
The Raiders have a dual threat that keeps defenses honest. Jacobs led the NFL in rushing last season. Regardless of the lack of production thus far, teams cannot take him lightly. The first team that does will be reminded swiftly of how dangerous he can be.
However, teams can't sell out too much for the run because of Davante Adams, who's one of the most dynamic receivers in the league. That's not hyperbole. Adams is dangerous in every way possible, and is even finding new ways to make defenders look silly:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSvideos) September 20, 2023
It's a delicate balance for defenses, especially considering that the Raiders also have Hunter Renfrow, replaced Darren Waller with Austin Hooper and drafted dynamic tight end Michael Mayer out of Notre Dame. And, the offensive line was borderline top 10 in the league a season ago. The Raiders have all of the pieces to put a respectable offense on the field.
However, that hasn't translated into production thus far. The Raiders are tied for dead last in the NFL with 13.5 points per game. They rank 21st with 192.5 passing yards per game. And, despite having last season's rushing champion, Las Vegas currently ranks 30th with 58.0 rushing yards per game.
With all of the pieces the Raiders have, it'll be quite surprising if McDaniels' group plays this terribly all season long. Don't let the numbers fool you. This group has the potential to pop off any week.
THE DEFENSE
The Steelers have had to deal with two premier edge rushers -- Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett -- in each of their first two games. Their third contest continues the streak of playing a defense with a stout edge rusher.
Maxx Crosby is the leader of the Raiders defense, and must be limited in every way possible. While he doesn't possess the same fear factor as a Bosa or Garrett, Crosby can also wreck a game. He's just now beginning his fifth season and has 38.5 sacks and 66 tackles for loss. He lives in the opponents' backfield. And, Chandler Jones is typically a good complement on the opposite edge ... when he's there. Jones' absence has paved the way for some opportunity for first-round pick Tyree Wilson, though he has yet to make any real impact.
The second level of the defense is led by a familiar face. Robert Spillane has not only assumed a prominent role on the field, but also in the locker room as a captain. He currently leads the Raiders with 21 tackles, and can still do plenty as a run defender:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSvideos) September 20, 2023
In his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin spoke high praise of Raiders' nickelback Nate Hobbs, complimenting his "complete" game. The Steelers are expecting him to make an impact in coverage, run defense and as a blitzer. When Tomlin speaks of a nickelback in the same breath as former Steeler Mike Hilton, that should say everything you need to know. In addition, the Raiders have former Raven Marcus Peters and rookie Jakorian Bennett at cornerback.
A two-game sample size can be a bit skewed, but the Raiders' defense hasn't been very stout early on. They rank 25th with 27.0 points allowed per game, 18th with 216.5 passing yards allowed per game and 27th with 138.5 rushing yards allowed per game. They've also registered only four sacks. This is a group with upside, but doesn't look the part to be one of the top units in the league.
THE SPECIAL TEAMS
The Raiders have a pair of All-Pros handling kicking and punting duties. Daniel Carlson was named second team All-Pro in 2021 and first team All-Pro in 2022. He's unsurprisingly made both of his field goal attempts this season. AJ Cole, a first team All-Pro in 2021, handles the punting. He's superb at booting rockets to the other end of the field, and can pin opponents deep inside the 20. These two certainly play a big role in the field position game.
THE INJURY REPORT
• Chandler Jones, DE (personal reasons) -- Jones has not practiced for two weeks as the team told him not to show up after several social media posts questioning the front office and coaching staff. He's typically the starting edge opposite of Crosby, and is still listed on the team's official depth chart. His attendance/participation is certainly worth tracking.
• Jakobi Meyers, WR (concussion) -- Meyers suffered a concussion in the opener against the Broncos and was inactive in Week 2 after missing practice all week. He's typically one of the main three receivers for the Raiders, so his absence certainly hurts the depth of that room.
• Bilal Nichols, DT (hamstring) -- Nichols left the game in Week 2 with the hamstring injury. He's one of the starting interior linemen for the Raiders, so his participation this week will be crucial, especially since Jones is still M.I.A.
QUOTABLE
"Overall, I think there’s a big help for that, playing against a team last year. It's like a division game almost with some familiarity, which is great. Because you always like that, the players feel comfortable, and they know what to expect from the scheme and personnel standpoint." -- Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi on how the late-season matchup in 2022 helps with familiarity against the Steelers
"Looking forward to this game against the Steelers just watching the game last night, I thought they did a really good job of perseverance in terms of being resilient and finishing the fourth quarter. So, the key thing there is it's going to be a four-quarter game -- it's going to be 60 minutes. That's one thing that you see when you watch the Steelers and how Coach Tomlin builds that team and how they go about it every season. So, from Week 2 to Week 3 you’re just stringing together 60 minutes of good football, that's the plan." -- Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on cleaning things up after lopsided loss in Week 2
"No, I mean there's no shortcut to it. When you're going to run the ball, I think a lot of people have to do their jobs well. It's no different than pass protection in the passing game. On offense, if you want to have a successful play, you're going to need 11 guys to do what's asked of them or at least do it competitively. We may not win every matchup, but we got to do it certainly better than what we did yesterday for sure. It's not one thing. We got to block the right people, we got to sustain our blocks, we got to finish. If we have an opportunity with double teams, we got to do a good job of moving our double teams and creating an entry point. We got to read the runs the way JJ [Josh Jacobs] reads them and get downhill. Receivers got to block, we got to get a body on the linebackers. I mean, you name it, and we took a turn not doing it nearly well enough. So, that's my job, and we'll get it fixed." -- Josh McDaniels on getting the running game going