.png)
The banged up Las Vegas Raiders couldn’t get out of their own way in the team’s latest home loss.
Las Vegas was shut down by Pittsburgh, 32-13, Sunday, Oct. 13 from Allegiant Stadium with plenty of black and yellow in the building. The all-time series is 17-16 in favor of the Raider franchise with the Steelers claiming the last three including two straight inside Allegiant Stadium.
“It just seems similar to last week unfortunately,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “Just not playing good enough complimentary football — not playing good enough in general, period.”
That knocks the Raiders to 1-2 at home this season and 2-4 on the year overall. As it stands, the team sits in last place of the AFC West.
Las Vegas will now head back to California for a Sunday, Oct. 20 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams inside SoFi Stadium. This year’s team already has a 0-1 record inside SoFi Stadium after dropping a season opening contest to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Our record is what it shows,” head coach Antonio Pierce said. “We’re 2-4. It’s not good enough. We’re not coaching well enough, we’re not playing well enough and we’re not detailing well enough.”
A roughing-the-passer penalty against recently brought up player Matthew Butler took away an interception from linebacker Divine Deablo. That mistake served as the team’s first penalty of an eventual lopsided loss.
With the drive continuing, Pittsburgh would go on to grab its second lead of the game on its first touchdown of the day. That score sent the home team into the halftime break.
“I feel like we’ve been really good when it comes to penalties in the last year and a half,” Crosby said. “I’m not even going to comment on some of them, it is what it is, we can’t make excuses.”
On the ensuing drive, Las Vegas had a big chunk play through the air to rookie tight end Brock Bowers wiped away following its second penalty of the game. That would set the team back and eventually force it to punt but it’d be blocked by the Pittsburgh special teams unit.
Even with a chance to recover a fumble in the form of a dropped backwards pass, the Raiders were unsuccessful. The Steelers added a field goal to make it 15-7.
”Sounds like the Denver Broncos week,” Pierce said. “Exact same thing. Came out aggressively on offense. Went down there and went through our play script, 10-play drive, touchdown, after we gave up a field goal. We had some three-and-outs there.”
Crosby made a crucial mistake on a 3rd and 18 that resulted in the team’s third flag and second on a roughing-the-passer call. That’d give Pittsburgh a new set of downs on a drive that would result in their second touchdown of the day.
Steelers running back Najee Harris finished that drive with a 36-yard touchdown run, his first of the season. He’d finish with 106 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries as part of 183 total rushing yards from the visitors.
“It’s just gap integrity,” Crosby said. “Just getting off the block, I feel like as a collective we haven’t done a good enough job of that.”
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell made his first start and made it with several key players out due to injury. There were several total inactive players going into kickoff including receiver Davante Adams who missed his third straight game.
It was a perfect start to things for the second-year player out of Purdue as he’d go 4-for-4 with 45 passing yards and a 113.5 rating. He’d close his outing with 227 yards on 27-of-40 with a touchdown and an interception.
“I think we have confidence in our guys,” he said. “Some guys are getting in there for the first time or maybe have not had as much of an opportunity. I’ve gotten reps with all of those guys. There’s really no excuse.”
Running back Alexander Mattison capped that first drive with a three-yard touchdown on his seventh touch. He would go on to have just one touch over the next three drives including back-to-back drives without one following his score.
Mattison would have three early touches in the second half including rushes on 1st and 20 and 2nd and 18. Following a 10-play, 70-yard opening drive, the Raider were only able to muster 65 total yards on the next six drives.
“I thought obviously on the first drive he showed up big and throughout the game as well,” Pierce said. “The key was to spread the ball around, get a lot of guys touches. He had the hot hand.”
Mattison nearly broke through for a second score in the second half but another Las Vegas penalty took it away. Later that drive, fellow running back Ameer Abdullah would fumble it away to the defense.
That’d be the second drive killed by a turnover from a Raider running back. Rookie Dylan Laube fumbled on the team’s second-to-last possession of the first half.
“When you turn the ball over you don’t give yourself a chance,” Pierce said. “Again, minus three plus a blocked punt.”
Comments