Oakland Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: If the Numbers Are True, Raiders Win

It's often been said that statistics are like a bikini. They show a lot, but they don't show everything.

I was thinking I would have to use this old saying when making my case for a Raider victory this week in Pittsburgh. In actuality, though, it's the case someone picking the Steelers to win this Sunday would have to make.

Fox Sports does a great job putting together a season statistical breakdown between teams facing each other. It compares both offense defense and special teams. This is the breakdown of the Raiders and Steelers based on what they've done so far this year.

The Raiders, to my surprise, are superior to the Steelers in nine of the 11 ranked categories. It's right there in black and white. The opposite of what I expected to see and the ruination of the brilliant article I had planned to write.

I was planning on making the argument that the Raiders are trending the right way while the Steelers aren't.

I was planning on making a big deal about Pittsburgh's injuries and how a five-win Raider team went into Pittsburgh and beat them last year.

I was going to talk about how the Raiders suddenly improving run defense could be able to shut down the Pittsburgh run game and allow the pass rush to tee off on Big Ben, playing behind a depleted offensive line.

I was going to say how I expected the Raiders to be able to run the ball on Pittsburgh, despite how good their run defense has been so far.

I was going to make the argument that Zach Miller could have a field day based on the performance of Rob Gronkowski.

I was going to make a bunch of brilliant arguments on why the Raiders will win.

Alas, I think I'll just go by the numbers.

Statistics are a lot like a bikini... and I've always been a fan of bikinis.

Go Raiders, final score 26-20 for the "Criminal Element," and by the way, Lynn Swan is still SOFT!