Losers
Alex Leatherwood
The Raiders rookie offensive tackle had a rough day, which was unfortunately punctuated by an oblique injury that knocked him out of the game.
Before that, he allowed Steelers DE T.J. Watt to get around the top of his block and sack Carr in the first half, causing a fumble in the process. Later in the game, Leatherwood got called for holding, negating a touchdown pass from Carr to WR Bryan Edwards.
The Raiders still need Leatherwood healthy, however. Las Vegas’ depth is getting tested early up front, and though Leatherwood had a rough day, he still shows tremendous promise for a rookie and is holding his own more often than not.
Kolton Miller
You know it was a tough day for the Raiders offensive line when OT Kolton Miller shows up on the list.
But Miller played a big role in the Raiders’ collapse on the goal line near the end of the first half. Las Vegas made it to the Steelers’ 2-yard line but Miller had two penalties. One was a false start and the other for blocking illegally downfield on a screen pass.
Leatherwood contributed his aforementioned holding call on this drive, which could have ended in an Edwards TD but instead resulted in a Daniel Carlson field goal. (Shoutout to Carlson, by the way. He’s been marvelous.)
Damon Arnette
Cornerback Damon Arnette got his chance to impress against the Steelers with starters Casey Hayward Jr. and Trayvon Mullen each taking some snaps off with minor ailments. At first, it went okay. He allowed a reception, but he followed that up with a nice pass breakup.
Soon thereafter, however, he looked foolish defending Steelers WR Chase Claypool on a 52-yard reception for Pittsburgh. Arnette allowed the catch, but then he quit on the play, failing to touch Claypool down. Claypool got up and ran for more yardage as Arnette barely paid attention.
For a coaching staff trying to build their own confidence in Arnette, that play likely spoke volumes. Time will tell how many more chances he gets. Fortunately for the Raiders, the entire team played hard all day and they still came away with the win, which puts Las Vegas’ record at a surprising 2-0 early in the campaign.
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