Pittsburgh Steelers vs Oakland Raiders Preview
This week the Steelers take on the lowly Oakland Raiders. This is a game that the Steelers are supposed to win. But Steelers fans have learned that the Steelers often don’t do what they’re “supposed” to do.
The Steelers weren’t “supposed” to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs. Or the Chicago Bears. Or the Baltimore Ravens. Or the Cincinnati Bengals (twice). But they did.
So I am no longer going to predict the outcome of games. Why bother, when the Steelers seem determined to play down to the level of their competition?
The Steelers “should” have beaten the Oakland Raiders the last time they faced them back in 2006. But most Steelers fans probably remember that the Raiders handed the Steelers an embarrassing loss.
The Raiders looked pathetic last week in a 24-7 thumping at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. But those were the Cowboys, and these are the Steelers. The Steelers don’t thump anyone.
The Raiders are 3-8, and have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Their defense is ranked #29 in the NFL. They’re ranked 31st against the run. Only the Buffalo Bills are worse.
The Raiders’ defense allows an average of 161.1 yards per game on the ground. That’s a lot. That’s a whole lot.
I know that Bruce Arians has never seen a down that he didn’t want to throw on. But against a team that gives up 161.1 yards per game on the ground, he should go to Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker early and often.
Note to Bruce: Run the ball!!!
This is the game where the Steelers should bring back good old-fashioned Steelers football. They should run the ball down the Raiders throats. Mendenhall and Parker might both surpass 100 yards.
On the other side of the ball, the Raiders are equally bad. Their offense is also ranked #31 in the NFL. They can’t seem to score on anybody.
The Raiders finally benched quarterback JaMarcus Russell, and Pittsburgh native Bruce Gradkowski will be starting in his place. But Gradkowski doesn’t have much experience, and he doesn’t have many weapons supporting him. So the Steelers defense “should” have their way with the Raiders’ woeful offense.
But of course, that’s what “should” happen. And with this year’s Pittsburgh Steelers, what “should” happen never seems to matter.
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So based on the Raiders defensive ranking, I don’t want a score prediction because that would be impossible, what will/should be the result from our running game? I hope that the O.C. will at least give us some flash of the old Steelers rushing attack. I’m thinking maybe 120-130 on the ground.
And poor Gradkowski we always match up with him when he’s on crap teams last time it was the Bucs and we won that one in a title defense year.
1Benny,
I’m done making predictions. The Steelers always prove me wrong.
I know that Gradkowski is a hometown boy, but I still have no sympathy for him. I want the Steelers to sack him 10 times if they can. 15 times would be even better.
2Gradkowski almost beat us that year his recievers dropped tds.
I love my steelers but I’m like Tigers wife now I just cant trust em’ anymore until they get me a huge ring!
3Radiers WR Darius Heyward-Bay will not dress today,this guy has been a total bust as a 1st round draft pick. One less WR the Steelers average secondary has to worry about today.
Go Steelers!!
4TOTALLY PATHETIC…YOU LOSE AT HOME TO THE RAIDERS…U LOSE TO THE CHIEFS, RAVENS, BEARS, THE BENGALS TWICE…I LOVE THE STEELERS BUT THIS TEAM DOESNT DESERVE TO MAKE PLAYOFFS..THE SPECIAL TEAMS COACH NEEDS FIRED…ID START QUESTIONING THIS SO CALLED “DEFENSE”…..THEY ARE A JOKE RIGHT NOW…PLAIN AND SIMPLE…TOMLIN SAYS THEY WILL WIN LIKE HELL IN DECEMBER,,,,,WELL THEY ARE PLAYIN LIKE HELL RIGHT NOW……HE NEEDS TO GO….THIS TEAM LACKS HEART …PERIOD…
5I CAN GO ON ALL NITE…THEY LACK KILLER INSTINCT….THEY SETTLE FOR DANG FIELD GOALS AND GO AWAY SAYING…OH WELL ITS THREE POINTS…YOU GOT TO GET TOUCHDOWNS IN THE REDZONE ….PERIOD…I AM SO MAD AT THIS TEAM….TOMLIN BETTER BE CHEWING THEM A NEW BUTT IN THAT LOCKER ROOM…THEY NEED A MIKE SINGLETARY TYPE TO BE WHOOPING THEM AROUND THAT LOCKER ROOM AFTER ALL THESE EMBARRASSING LOSES……ITS RIDICULOUS….SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS…WHAT AN ADMIRITION AT THIS POINT…..
6When a team has to set a season record for offensive yardage to win a game, you have a huge problem.
7It all starts with Mike Tomlin. Tomlin is an outsider looking in with the Steelers. He is not respected by his players (says stuff he never backs-up) and certainly not smart. What pee-wee league coach would have gone for an on-side kick with 3+ minutes left in the game when you are ahead?
Max Starks has the agility of a pothole. He could not block his grandmother if she were in a wheelchair. The Steeler O-Line is obviously coached by a guy (Larry Zierlein) who has never learned how to shift blocking responsibilities when two defenders line-up in a gap. Zierlein, you need to be fired!
The Steeler defensive secondary is the weakest in the NFL. We have guys who cannot cover man for man, have no athletic ability (Troy is the best athlete in all of football but he is not playing), cannot tackle if their life depended on it, and they are all yellow-bellied cowards when it comes to sticking their head into a play. Ike Taylor must be released and William Gay needs to take up water polo.
James Farrier is the biggest joke in the linebacking core. He actually schemes to make sure he is nowhere near the guy with the ball. He is weak, timid and completely unqualified to be in the NFL. Release him NOW!
James Harrison and Lamar Woodley are having a contest to see who can lock up with their offensive blocker the longest. I seriously question the manhood of James Harrison because he has done nothing to resemble a defensive player of the year. If Harrison and Woodly do not learn how to break a block, they are through in the NFL.
There is one other failure that cannot be overlooked. For Tomlin to not have fired Special Teams coach Bob Ligashesky by week 5 of the season, tells me Tomlin is dumber than I already know he is. Nobody can do a poorer job of preparing 11 guys to not know how to contain a kick receiver and put him on the ground than Ligashesky has done. His Tombstone will read….”Only NFL coach to allow 4 kick return TD’s in a Season”. Fire this miserable failure so he can get a job selling pencils on Liberty Boulevard.