Raiders vs. Steelers: Full Pittsburgh Game Preview
The Pittsburgh Steelers welcome the upstart Oakland Raiders to Heinz Field on Sunday, for a 1 p.m. showdown between two teams hovering around .500 through eight weeks of the regular season.
While the Raiders appear to be trending in the right direction on both sides of the ball, the Steelers have been unable to sustain any semblance of a healthy roster in a trying 2015 regular season.
It's shown on the field.
Now without star running back Le'Veon Bell, who was lost for the season with a torn MCL suffered in Week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers offense must readjust its lineup and its system to make up for the loss of the most dynamic running back in football.
Add in the less than 100 percent Ben Roethlisberger and a patchwork offensive line that will be without left tackle Kelvin Beachum and center Maurkice Pouncey for the rest of the season, and it's easy to see that this is a banged-up Pittsburgh team, at least on one side of the ball—one that was supposed to be the strength of the team in 2015.
With a week under his belt coming back from injury, we should see a much better Roethlisberger compared to his dreadful performance last week. But how the offense will look without Bell moving forward is something that will have to play out on the field.
Based off of the first two weeks of the season, Pittsburgh is in good hands with DeAngelo Williams lining up behind Roethlisberger in place of Bell.
Make no mistake: The Steelers offense will have to be at its best in this one, as the Raiders offense has really taken off in year two under Derek Carr, who is exceptional against the blitz, knows where the football needs to go at all times and is enjoying working with Amari Cooper and the resurrected Michael Crabtree in the Bay Area.
This has all the makings of a shootout.
Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Week 8 Results and Recap
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| AFC NORTH | |||
| Team | Wins | Losses | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7 | 0 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4 | 4 | |
| Cleveland Browns | 2 | 6 | |
| Baltimore Ravens | 2 | 6 |
The Bengals and Steelers squared off at Heinz Field in Week 8, and it was an ugly game for all involved.
Le'Veon Bell suffered a torn MCL midway through the second quarter of Ben Roethlisberger's return to the lineup, and the Steelers offense sputtered all afternoon against a ball-hawking Bengals defense.
Roethlisberger threw three interceptions and missed numerous other passes against the Bengals, leading to the 16-10 loss.
Pittsburgh's defense was terrific for much of the game and deserved to win, but Andy Dalton and A.J. Green were able to capitalize on a late Roethlisberger interception to beat the Steelers.
Latest News and Notes for Pittsburgh
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Grant promoted to 53-man roster
With a number of injuries in the Steelers secondary, Pittsburgh promoted 2015 fourth-round pick Doran Grant from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, according to the team website.
Grant will replace wide receiver Tyler Murphy on the roster. The former Boston College quarterback was released to open up room for Grant.
Heyward could miss Sunday's game
Steelers star defensive end Cam Heyward and his wife are expecting the birth of their first child Sunday, which could put his status for Sunday's game against Oakland in jeopardy.
Although the defensive end hasn't said outright that he'd miss the game for the birth of his child, he did elude to it after practice earlier this week, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly.
"I haven't even thought about it that way," he said. "I would love to be there for my son and I want to be there for the first time he comes into the world. I don't think it will come to that (having the baby Sunday). I have my fingers crossed that the baby comes sooner rather than later.”
Pead wants chance at redemption
Due to the loss of Bell for the season, the Steelers went out and signed former St. Louis Rams running back Isaiah Pead on Monday, adding depth to a limited running back room, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Ralph Paulk.
Now, Pead is out to redeem himself.
"“I'm happy to be here, and I'm ready to capitalize on this opportunity. I'll continue to move forward with my career, and help this team achieve the ultimate goal. I can bring a lot to the table with my competitive spirit. I'm excited and ready to go. It's a matter of getting acclimated to a new team and the playbook.”
"
Latest Injury News
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| DID NOT PARTICIPATE | |||
| Terence Garvin | LB | Knee | |
| Markus Wheaton | WR | Ankle | |
| Matt Spaeth | TE | Knee | |
| Martavis Bryant | WR | Illness | |
| LIMITED PARTICIPANT | |||
| Stephon Tuitt | DE | Knee | |
| Will Allen | S | Ankle | |
All injury news courtesy of the Steelers team website.
Along with Garvin, Wheaton, Spaeth and Bryant, James Harrison, William Gay and Heath Miller sat out of practice Wednesday. The trio of veterans was given the day off by head coach Mike Tomlin.
Bryant should be fine for Sunday, as he's battling an illness and not an injury, but Wheaton and Spaeth could be game-time decisions.
Wheaton has had a tough year opposite of Brown, hauling in just 13 catches for 257 yards and one touchdown in 2015. With Tuitt, he is still dealing with the knee injury, so the blossoming defensive end is still working his way back into the lineup. He'll be a player to monitor as the week progresses.
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Key Matchups
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Khalil Mack/Aldon Smith vs. Alejandro Villanueva
Villanueva was not good in Week 8 against Cincinnati. He struggled with stunts, twists and blitzes and had a hard time dealing with speed off of the edge.
Khalil Mack is a budding star in the NFL and brings plenty of speed and power off of the edge. Although Mack is dealing with a shoulder injury, he is expected to play.
Aldon Smith is another freak off of the edge for the Raiders, who should be able to get after Ben Roethlisberger behind a banged-up offensive line.
Antwon Blake vs. Michael Crabtree/Amari Cooper
Blake had a solid game last week against the Bengals, but it won't get any easier for him this week having to cover the dynamic Cooper and the resurgent Crabtree, with Derek Carr slinging the ball all over the yard.
Cooper and Crabtree torched the Jets secondary last week, and it's safe to say that the Steelers secondary isn't as good as the Jets.
Blake is no Darrelle Revis, so this could be an ugly matchup for the Steelers, who are dealing with tons of injuries in the secondary. If Blake can limit Cooper and Crabtree, then the Steelers have a good chance of winning.
Matchup X-Factor
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Heath Miller
Miller started 2015 on a hot streak without Le'Veon Bell in the lineup to work the middle of the field in the passing game.
With Bell now out for the year, Miller should once again be able to work freely in the middle of the field, especially against a Raiders linebacking corps that has struggled in coverage all season long against tight ends.
Miller hauled in 10 catches for 105 yards in Week 8 against Cincinnati. Expect more of that to continue in Week 9 against Oakland.
Add into the mix the fact that rookie linebacker Neiron Ball likely won't be in action this week, and it will open up space for Miller to carve up the Raiders on Sunday.
Prediction: Oakland 30, Pittsburgh 23
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Full disclosure: The Raiders passing attack is tremendous and should scare Steelers Nation.
A.J. Green went for 11 receptions, 118 yards and one touchdown last week against Blake and Co. Amari Cooper could top that in this one.
Oakland also runs the ball very well as a team, led by Latavius Murray.
The Raiders whooped up on the Jets defense last week, which is head and shoulders better than the Steelers, so this one could be ugly for the members of the black and gold.
With no Le'Veon Bell, the Steelers offense will have to be on top of its game. I'm not sure it will be able to with a hobbled Roethlisberger and a patchwork offensive line.
Raiders 30, Steelers 23
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