While there are some reasons for optimism for the Raiders as they get set to face the Steelers this Sunday, there are also plenty causes for concern. Here are three I’m looking at.
Turnover differential…differential
With these two teams, you have nearly opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to turnovers. The Raiders have literally the worst turnover differential in the league (-7). While the Steelers have the fifth best tunover differential (+4).
Just once has a Steelers QB thrown an interception this season. Meanwhile, the Raiders are tied for the most interceptions thrown in the league (6).
It seems kind of funny, then, that both teams are talking about switching quarterbacks. Clearly the bar for QB play with each team is set at very different heights.
Down two number one receivers?
That’s what the Raiders could be looking at in this game. Davante Adams is set to miss his third game with a hamstring/trade request situation. His fellow starter — and number one receiver replacement the past two weeks — Jakobi Meyers is dealing with an ankle injury that has his status in doubt as well.
The past couple weeks they turned to DJ Turner as their third option behind Meyers and Tre Tucker. If Meyers is out too, Turner could start and it’s hard to say who else will step up considering the only other wide receiver on the roster is Tyreik McAllister. And Tucker, Turner, and McAllister are all very similiar types of receivers.
Suffice to say their options are limited and depth is a huge concern.
Terrible Towel Takeover
Word is this game is a hot ticket. And you can bet it isn’t because Raiders fans are simply much more eager to see their team take on this old rival. It’s because Steelers fans are coming. And with them the Raiders lose anything resembling home field advantage.
Expect Allegiant to be inundated with Terrible Towels. Yeah, the idea that a piece of cloth would be intimidating is laughable. But, really, it’s not about the towel. It’s about the noise of the fans attached to them. And in a covered stadium like this, it will get extremely noisy.