Biggest Takeaways from Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 9 Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves in a shootout against the Oakland Raiders in Week 9, but they managed to come away with their fifth victory of the season, winning 38-35 on a last-second Chris Boswell field goal. 

To say it was an eventful game would be an understatement. In fact, it may have been the Steelers' most thrilling and yet most frustrating performance of the year. Here are the top five takeaways from Pittsburgh's home win over Oakland.

Another Injury for Ben Roethlisberger

Don Wright/Associated Press

Sunday's game was Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's second back since suffering an MCL sprain in Week 3. But he didn't make it through the afternoon unscathed. In the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger was sacked by Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith, who crashed down on the quarterback's left foot awkwardly.

Roethlisberger was carted off and later left Heinz Field for evaluation. The injury could have been a severe one, but luckily, it's relatively minor. ESPN reported on Sunday night that Roethlisberger has a mid-foot sprain that will sideline him for "a few weeks."

The Steelers host the Cleveland Browns in Week 10 before a Week 11 bye. This could be enough time for Roethlisberger to heal, which would allow for a Week 12 return against the Seattle Seahawks. Though there is no official timetable for his recovery yet, the Steelers have at least dodged another bullet by this latest Roethlisberger injury not being a season-ender.

However, any time without Roethlisberger is not good for the Steelers. They went 2-2 in his four-game absence and are trying to remain playoff relevant. That it could have been worse is cold comfort. Landry Jones will have to hold down the fort for at least one more game.

Antonio Brown's Resurgence

George Gojkovich/Getty Images

It has been a frustrating season for Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, mainly because of Ben Roethlisberger's four-game absence. In the first three games of the year, he had 133, 195 and 108 receiving yards, respectively. But when Roethlisberger's injury led to Mike Vick and Landry Jones taking over at quarterback, his next three weeks yielded 42, 45 and 24 yards.

Though he did bounce back in Week 7, putting up 124 yards on six catches against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger's rusty return in Week 8 held him to only 47 yards.

But with a comfortable Roethlisberger under center through the fourth quarter and a Jones more confident in throwing to Brown against an Oakland Raiders defense that could not cover him, Brown had a career day. 

Brown caught 17 passes on 23 targets on Sunday, for 284 yards, setting Steelers' franchise records for both receptions and yards. He also rushed twice for 22 yards, bringing his total yards from scrimmage to 306 on the day. 

While these stratospheric numbers may come back down to earth against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, given that Roethlisberger won't be able to play, it's good news that Brown hasn't lost his touch this year. Week 9 more than made up for Brown being limited earlier in the season.

No Defensive Pressure

George Gojkovich/Getty Images

The Steelers defense has been doing a good job of getting to opposing quarterbacks, with 22 team sacks headed into Week 8. That's a marked improvement over 2014, when the Steelers had just 33 total sacks on the season.

But getting past the Raiders' solid offensive line was a problem in Week 9. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who had been sacked just eight times on the year, was not taken down once. Meanwhile, ESPN recorded Pittsburgh's defense getting just one hit in on the day. 

With Pittsburgh's secondary still a liability, pressuring Carr was a top priority. But because they could not take him down or fluster him on a regular basis, the Raiders ended up with 35 points and nearly won the game. Carr completed 24 of his 44 pass attempts and did throw an interception, but he also had four touchdown passes and 301 passing yards.

Young quarterbacks like Carr should be easy fodder for a defensive front like Pittsburgh's. But Oakland's protections held and the Steelers could not get home on Sunday. This is important to keep in mind, given the quality passers they'll face in the coming weeks, including Cincinnati's Andy Dalton, Indianapolis' Andrew Luck and Denver's Peyton Manning.

Rookie Playmakers

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Three Steelers rookies whose names we've rarely heard this year ended up playing major roles in a key Week 9 scoring drive. Raiders kick returner Taiwan Jones fumbled his return, thanks to a big hit by fullback Roosevelt Nix. The fumble was recovered by another rookie, linebacker Anthony Chickillo.

And in the red-zone situation that ensued, rookie tight end Jesse James scored the touchdown that gave the Steelers a 35-21 lead. It was his second catch of the game and of the season, and his first score in the NFL.

Whether this means their futures in Pittsburgh are bright is yet unknown, but it was a noteworthy series of positive plays for three of the Steelers' rookies—plays that may have made the difference between a win and a loss on Sunday.

DeAngelo Williams Carries the Load

George Gojkovich/Getty Images

In Weeks 1 and 2, when Steelers' top running back Le'Veon Bell was serving a two-game suspension, veteran backup DeAngelo Williams took on the starting duties. He handled them exceedingly well, rushing a total of 41 times for 204 yards and three scores in those two games before settling back in as the team's No. 2.

But Williams' number was called again when Bell suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 8. And he looked just as good against the Raiders as he did to start the season, netting 170 rushing yards and two first-half touchdowns on 27 runs, along with two catches on four targets for 55 yards.

Williams' 225-yard total on the day wasn't the only thing that was impressive about his performance. He was also handed 27 carries and 29 total touches. At 32 years old, most running backs cannot handle such a workload. But Williams made it look easy. 

Losing Bell is a significant blow to Pittsburgh's offense, to be sure. But it's a storm this team can weather much better knowing that Williams is capable of doing what he did on Sunday on a regular basis. Pittsburgh's run game is in good hands with Williams as the starter.