Coming off a big win against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, the Pittsburgh Steelers added another win to their record with a 23 – 18 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders on the road at Allegiant Stadium. A pair of sloppy offensive games was followed with a much-improved Steelers offense. Steelers Quarterback, Kenny Pickett, had his first multi-touchdown game of the season and the offense rushed for over 100 yards.
After a few back-and-forth drives to open the game, the Raiders were able to put the first points on the board. On fourth down, Raiders Quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, found Wide Receiver, Devante Adams, open in the endzone for a 32-yard touchdown pass. However, the Steelers quickly responded with a touchdown of their own. Pickett rifled a pass to Wide Receiver, Calvin Austin, for a 72-yard catch and run, tying the game, 7 – 7.
Two drives later, Garoppolo was intercepted by Cornerback, Levi Wallace, giving the Steelers great field position. Unable to score a touchdown, the Black & Gold settled for a field goal. Chris Boswell, Steelers kicker, nailed his 43-yard field goal attempt to take the lead, 10 – 7. Boswell successfully kicked another field goal, extending their lead to six right before half.
Once halftime was over, the Steelers opened the second half with yet again another field goal. Boswell nailed his third field goal in a row, making it a two-score game, 16 – 7. Garoppolo was intercepted for a second time, this time by Patrick Peterson, Steelers cornerback. Pittsburgh marched down the field and capitalized with their second touchdown. This time, Pickett threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Tight End, Pat Freiermuth, giving them a double-digit lead.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Raiders started to gain momentum and closed their deficit to a one score game. Garoppolo and the offense slowly worked their way down the field to score. In the Red Zone, Garoppolo threw a short touchdown pass to Adams. With a successful two-point conversion attempt, they trailed, 23 – 15. Not soon after, Raiders Kicker, Daniel Carlson, chipped a short field goal through the uprights to make it a five-point game. However, Wallace picked off Garoppolo for a second time of the night, securing the Steelers their second win of the season.
In a post-game press conference, Pickett discussed what it’s like to finally have the offense headed in the right direction. “When we’re balanced, we’re dangerous,” he said. “It’s the ultimate team game and we got great players…when we’re balanced, we’re at our best.”
Story By: Carlin Whalen (cjw6426@psu.edu)
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