Tag: Las Vegas Raiders vs Pittsburgh Steelers

No logical explanation for Josh McDaniels field goal call at end of Raiders loss to Steelers

Josh McDaniels field goal call at end of Raiders loss to Steelers was a crucial mistake. Plain and simple.

Late in the game against the Steelers Sunday night, the Raiders managed to pull it to a one-score game. Down 23-15, that one score would be a touchdown and a two-point conversion. And, yet, despite driving to within four yards of having a decent shot at doing just that, they turned it down. Leaving the question of why.

For that, there is no good answer.

Let’s set the scene.

The Raiders first found themselves in fourth and six from the Pittsburgh 29-yard-line with 3:15 remaining. One could have argued they should’ve gone for it then. It seemed like the clear better choice. But with that much time left, there was an outside chance of making a stop and having enough time to try and drive for a touchdown.

For that reason, it was a little surprising they opted to kick the field goal, but not a huge misstep.

Then the Steelers were flagged for a personal foul on the field goal try, giving the Raiders a fresh set of downs. From that point, it was all or nothing. Nothing but a TD would do. Right?

Yeah, about that…

The Raiders would be stopped on the first three downs faced with a fourth and four from the eight-yard-line with 2:25 on the clock. No question whatsoever, you go for it to try to either pick up four yards for the first down or eight yards for the touchdown.

A field goal does you almost no good. It’s no better than going for it and not making it. In fact, it’s actually worse. Don’t believe me? Just look at the numbers.

Their winning percentage was more than five points lower with a field goal than going for it.

Here is Josh McDaniels’s attempt at an explanation along with some more numbers that prove it isn’t a convincing one.

How could it be that adding three points is worse?

Well, let’s go with the possible scenarios.

1. Get stopped on 4th down

Turnover on downs. Steelers get the ball in the shadow of their own end zone. Easier to make a quick stop as they must avoid a safety. Get the ball in great field position to take another shot.

2. Pick up first down

Fresh set of downs inside the five-yard-line. Four down territory gives them solid shot of getting in the end zone.

3. TD without a two-point conversion

They have to make a defensive stop. Then they need only drive for a field goal to win it rather than a touchdown which was a lot higher probability from the eight-yard-line than being pinned deep off a punt.

4. They get the TD and two-point conversion

Stop the Steelers shaky offense to send it to OT.

5. Kick a field goal

Still down five points. Give the ball to the Steelers at their 25-yard-line off the kick off.  Have to make a quick defensive stop. Hope the Steelers’ punt doesn’t pin them deep, making for a long drive.

The field goal clearly sets up the most complicated path to victory of all the options. Even getting stopped on 4th down.

I am no coach. I don’t make that declaration to suggest McDaniels might have some reasonable method I just can’t comprehend. I say that to point out that even from where I’m sitting, this is plain as day. Where he was standing — on the sideline as the head coach of an NFL team — it should have been far more obvious.

Down eight points on fourth and four from your opponent’s eight-yard-line, you go for it. All day, every day.

Raiders vs Steelers final score: Steelers win 23-18 to spoil Raiders home opener

Steelers win 23-18 to spoil Raiders home opener

 This game started out pretty much as we expected. With both teams going three-and-out. The Steelers had two of them to get things started. Then it really got interesting.

On the Raiders’ second possession of the game, they got things moving. Eventually they found themselves in fourth and inches from the Pittsburgh 32-yard-line. They lined up like they were going to try and punch it up the gut, but opted for the play action fake, hitting Davante Adams for the touchdown instead.

In a game where scoring seemed like it would be at a premium, that touchdown seemed like it would loom large. But three plays later, the Steelers answered back in a big way. Calvin Austin III broke open deep and Kenny Pickett launched one for him and 72 yards later, the Steelers had tied it up.

From there it was back to some defensive football. TJ Watt got around Jermaine Eluemunor to sack Garoppolo and help force a Raiders punt. Then Maxx Crosby returned the favor with a sack to force a punt.

When the Raiders got the ball back, they moved into Pittsburgh territory only to turn it over. A Jimmy G pass over the middle for Michael Mayer was picked off by Levi Wallace to give the Steelers the ball back.

They took advantage of the turnover, driving into Vegas territory. On third and short, Pickett snuck it up the middle for the first down on third and one. Then Maxx Crosby grabbed a Steeler player’s leg and pulled him off the pile and was slapped with a 15-yard personal foul penalty. The Raiders would ultimately make the stop on the drive, but the penalty would put the Steelers in field goal range and they took a 10-7 lead.

The Steelers would add another field goal late in the second quarter to extend the lead to 13-7. Then they would add another field goal in the third quarter to make it a 16-7 game.

Now a two-score game, the Raiders needed to get something going. Instead JImmy Garoppolo threw another interception and the Steelers took the ball and mounted their best drive of the game, ending with a touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett to tight end Pat Freiermuth for the touchdown. 

With under four minutes left in the third quarter, and a 23-7 Steelers lead, the game was officially out of hand.

The Raiders would make it interesting late, driving for a touchdown, again to Davante Adams. Down 16, they went for two. A questionable pass interference on Minkah Fitzpatrick gave the Raiders two shots at it. On the second attempt, the Steelers sold out on the run, leaving tight end Michael Mayer wide open for the score. 

A defensive stop would give the Raiders the ball back with 4:35 left. Then a big return by DeAndre Carter started that drive near midfield. They would drive to the eight-yard-line, but curiously opt to kick a field goal rather than go for it on fourth and four.

The Steelers would get one first down, taking ore than two minutes off the clock. With 12 seconds left and 85 yards to go, Jimmy G threw an interception to end the game.

Steelers come into Allegiant and take down the Raiders 23-18.

WATCH: Jimmy Garoppolo opens things up vs Steelers with long TD to Davante Adams

WATCH: Jimmy Garoppolo opens things up vs Steelers with long TD to Davante Adams

For the second week in a row, the Raiders started the scoring with a long ball from Jimmy Garoppolo to Davante Adams.

This time, it was a gutsy call by the Raiders. They lined up in fourth and inches, looking like they were going to try and drive it up the gut with Josh Jacobs behind Jakob Johnson.

Jimmy G took the snap, faked the hand off to Jacobs and threw it to Davante Adams who ran a post pattern for the touchdown.

This came after two three-and-outs for the Steelers and one by the Raiders.

Three plays later, the Steelers evened it up with Calvin Austin III torching the Raiders defense for a 72-yard touchdown catch.

Raiders vs Steelers inactives: Veteran WR Kristian Wilkerson sits in favor of rookie Tre Tucker

Rookie WR Tre Tucker will be active while veteran Kristian Wilkerson sits out vs Steelers

It’s Sunday night and the Raiders are about to kick off their home opener against the Steelers, Here’s who won’t be taking the field for the game:

Raiders inactives:

No. 4 QB Aidan O’Connell
No. 29 S Chris Smith II
No. 56 LB Amari Burney
No. 83 WR Kristian Wilkerson
No. 99 DT Nesta Jade Silvera

Once again, most of the Raiders’ rookie class will be inactive. The one notable rookie *not* inactive this week is Tre Tucker, who gets the call while veteran Kristian Wilkerson is inactive.

The only player on the Raiders injury report this week was DE Tyree Wilson who was Questionable with an illness. He is active for the game.

Steelers inactives:

No. 2 QB Mason Rudolph (3rd QB)
No. 48 RB Godwin Igwebuike
No. 60 T Dylan Cook
No. 82 WR Dez Fitzpatrick
No. 89 WR Gunner Olszewski
No. 96 NT Breiden Fehoko

Raiders vs Steelers final injury report: DE Tyree Wilson (illness) Questionable

Raiders DE Tyree Wilson is officially Questionable with an illness vs Steelers

Friday saw Tyree Wilson a limited participant in practice. That was a step in the right direction for the rookie edge rusher who missed Wednesday and Thursday with an undisclosed illness. The team has officially listed him as Questionable for Sunday’s home opener against the Steelers.

It wouldn’t be a the worst thing if Wilson were to be shut down for Sunday’s game. Even at full strength over the first two games this season, he has a 0% win rate. If he is not 100%, that would not help things in that area.

Wilson was playing as much as he was because Chandler Jones has been out with personal issues. With Jones placed on the Non-Football Illness list, the top option to start at DE across from Maxx Crosby is Malcolm Koonce with practice squad DE Isaac Rochell again called up to rotate in.

The only player on the Steelers injury report is WR Gunner Olszewski who is Out with a concussion.

Raiders, Steelers Wednesday injury report: Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers both practice

Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers both practiced today, each coming off concussion protocol.

A concussion near the end of the season opener had Jakobi Meyers miss the Raiders Week 2 game in Buffalo. Then a hard hit at the end of that game had Davante Adams evaluated for a concussion. Wednesday brought good news for both starting receivers.

Adams and Meyers both practiced today as the Raiders prepare to face the Steelers Sunday night, offering a strong indication they will be good to go this week.

The only players missing from practice were safety Christopher Smith II and defensive end Tyree Wilson. Both players were missing with an illness.

Chandler Jones’s absence from the injury report is due to the team placing him on the Non-Football Illness list and thus ruling him out for at least four weeks.

The Steelers had a very full injury report including S Minkah Fitzpatrick (chest), LB Markus Golden (knee), and DT Larry Ojunjobi (foot). We’ll see how many of the eight missing players return for Thursday’s practice.

Win in Pittsburgh has Raiders jump out to 2-0 start but wary they must keep it going

Raiders are 2-0 but recent past serves as reminder it’s how you finish that matters

This feeling should be very familiar if you’re a Raiders fan. It should feel somewhat familiar if you’re a fan to see the Raiders sitting at 2-0. That’s where the Raiders are right now after a big win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

It should feel familiar if you’re a fan to be telling everyone that they never should’ve doubted the Raiders after big unexpected wins to start the season. There is certainly a lot of that happening right now. And understandably so.

It should all feel familiar because the Raiders were in this same position last year.

Last year, the Raiders had a big win on the East Coast to begin the season at Carolina and then they came home for their first-ever game at Allegiant Stadium to upset the Saints on Monday Night Football.

This year they began the season with a big upset over the Ravens on Monday Night Football in the first-ever game at Allegiant with fans present. Then today they took the trip to the Eastern time zone to beat the Steelers on a short week.

West Coast teams playing out east at what is 10 am on their bodily clocks and in a hostile environment is always a disadvantage. More so than even a regular road game away from your own friendly confines. But, again, the Raiders had success away from home last season, so Gruden isn’t buying into the accomplishment.

“We were 6-2 last season on the road. So, it’s not like we’re going home celebrating,” Jon Gruden said. “We’ve got two wins, two AFC wins, and we got to get ready for Miami. So, we got to keep out level-headedness.”

That 6-2 road record didn’t mean much considering they had the inverse record at home. Neither did their 2-0 open to the season considering they faded down the stretch of the season.

So, as you can see, these comparisons to last season are not ones that I’m making on my own. These are the comparisons the Raiders are currently making, because they know that being 2-0 — while awesome, and impressive — won’t mean much if they can’t keep it going.

“We’ve started 2-0 before, but we got to keep going,” Derek Carr said after the game. “We can’t let this thing go downhill. Keeping in the mindset, staying in the process, staying in the channel, those are all the things that matter. . .

Carr talks about the mindset of the team giving him confidence they can sustain their success this season. Several players have been asked about the confidence in this team. And it’s honestly the same thing we’ve heard so many times before.

Last season, when the Raiders started the season 6-4, Carr said that 6-4 felt different than the same 6-4 record in 2019 and then the team collapsed just as they had in 2019. Probably best to not buy into this 2-0 feeling being any different than last season’s version. Gruden certainly isn’t buying into it.

“We’re all confident, we have a confident group. We were confident last year,” Gruden responded to the question of team confidence. “We lost some heart-breaking (games). Gut-wrenching, disgusting losses at the end of football games. So, we got a long way to go and we’re nowhere near perfect.”

There are signs that could suggest this team might be better equipped to sustain success. The play of the defense first and foremost. And it also is a good sign that Gruden and his players aren’t falling into the traps of thinking things are going to be completely different this time.

If things are to be different, they have to make it so. And it is still very early yet. Enjoy the win, but make no mistake, there’s a lot of work still to be done. As Carr said it “Everyone after the game is like ‘hey, we’ll celebrate on the plane, but as soon as we land we’ll get back to work’.”

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Raiders use ‘collective effort’ to make up for O-line woes in big win over Steelers

Raiders use ‘collective effort’ to make up for Oline woes in big win over Steelers

Right now the Raiders are celebrating another big win. They leave Pittsburgh with an impressive 26-17 victory over the Steelers. The most impressive thing about this Raiders win was that they weren’t firing on all cylinders.

Just like in the season opener against the Ravens, things started off slowly. But the Raiders hung around all game long and pulled away late.

It was like the Raiders were playing with house money much of the game. Two of their first three scoring drives ended terribly.

Their first scoring drive featured two straight fumbles; one on a strip-sack by TJ Watt which John Simpson recovered and the next a fumbled snap. Their third scoring drive went all the way to the two-yard line only to have three offensive line penalties back them up to the 22.

Even with Darren Waller held to one catch for eight yards, the offense stalling and bumbling and stumbling they still headed into the half with a 9-7 lead because the defense was holding up.

The second half saw more find play from the defense, but it was joined by the passing attack taking things up a notch.

They broke through on their second drive with Carr finding Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow, and Henry Ruggs all for sizable gains. The drive finished off with a touchdown pass to Foster Moreau.

Despite not scoring a touchdown until late in the third quarter, the Raiders headed into the fourth quarter with a 16-7 lead.

The run game going nowhere. Josh Jacobs was out with injuries to his toe and ankle, so the starting running back was a recent addition, Peyton Barber. Heading into the fourth quarter Barber was averaging less than a yard per carry.

“You’re missing a superstar in Jacobs, the whole Oline is banged up, all these kind of things,” Derek Carr said after the game. “The AFC North, they want to stop the run, so we knew we were going to have to throw it to have a chance to win.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Steelers got back in it. A 52-yard bomb from Ben Roethlisberger to Chase Claypool set up a 25-yard touchdown pass to RB Najee Harris. But the Raiders saw the deep completion to Claypool and raised them with Derek Carr launching a 61-yard touchdown pass to Henry Ruggs III to bring it back to a two-score lead at 23-14.

A deep ball catch like that, in which Ruggs shows off his breakaway speed, is just what they need from him. Carr had been looking for it all game long and he finally found his moment.

“They gave us a good look,” Carr said. “But Henry’s so fast, and speed kills, and the advantages of his speed showing up that he can get open so fast.”

“When I saw that [play] one it was just run,” Ruggs said. “He threw it up and it was just go get it. And that’s all I could think of. Go get it and don’t drop it.”

A field goal would bring it back to a one-score game, but with 3:37 remaining the Raiders run game showed up just enough to bleed the clock down and allow Daniel Carlson to came out and put the game away with a 45-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining.

“When we had to run it, it was a beautiful thing, we were able to do it,” Carr said of that final drive. “I’m sure we can look at the film and see we could do this or this better, but that’s every game, win or lose. But very proud of our guys, coach Cable… he’s unbelievable. What he can do with, not just the first string guys, but with anybody. They come in and they play and they’re ready to fight. They did at the end. We were able to run the ball and kill some time.”

Derek Carr’s big-time second half had him finish the game with 382 yards and two touchdowns.

“I just let his performance speak for itself,” head coach Jon Gruden said of his QB. “I’ve been clamoring for Derek Carr since I’ve been here, so hopefully he gets some recognition for doing what he did today. He had some long drives, he was big again at the end of the game against a great defense two weeks in a row and it’s a big reason why we’ve been able to win.”

Leading the way again for the defense was the pass rush. Solomon Thomas put up two sacks while Maxx Crosby had five QB hits.

The secondary was flying around as well, with Casey Hayward and Trayvon Mullen each putting up two pass breakups.

“If George [Atkinson] and Jack [Tatum] were around, they’d be proud of some of the hits, legal hits,” Gruden said of the pass defense. “They were flying around, they had some good vision on the quarterback, they had some good breaks, and made some tremendous plays. Had to have those plays. Thought the rush was pretty good, they threw it quick, stopped the run for the most part, and got off the field on third down in some key moments.”

The Raiders’ leading scorer was Daniel Carlson with 14 points on four field goals and two extra points. He remains perfect on the season and hasn’t missed a field goal try since week seven of last season.

“Just a collective effort. By all three phases,” Gruden said of his team’s performance. “That’s what you have to do to win in this league, on the road against a good team.”

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Watch: Derek Carr goes long ball late to Henry Ruggs III for 61-yard score

Watch: Derek Carr goes long ball late to Henry Ruggs III for 61-yard score

We have a good ball game in Pittsburgh. Where the Raiders and Steelers have been trading blows all day. Then early in the fourth quarter, Henry Ruggs got a step on his defender on a post route and Derek Carr aired it out for a majestic 61-yard touchdown.

It’s the biggest connection we’ve seen between Carr and Ruggs since the Raiders made the Alabama speedster the first receiver taken in the 2020 NFL Draft. And it’s exactly the type of play that the Raiders drafted him to make.

The catch put the Raiders up 23-14 over the hometown Steelers who had just a bit earlier had a 52-yard hookup between Ben Roethlisberger and Chase Claypool.

The Ruggs catch was his fifth of the day, putting him at 113 to take the team lead. Meanwhile Derek Carr has been spreading the ball around and that connection put him over 300 yards for the game. Most importantly it gave the Raiders a two-score lead late.

Raiders place QB Marcus Mariota on IR, sign LB Marquel Lee off practice squad

Raiders place QB Marcus Mariota on IR, sign LB Marquel Lee off practice squad

Several serious injuries occurred in the season opener for the Raiders. Today QB Marcus Mariota became the third player to land on injured reserve from injuries suffered in the game. He aggravated a quad injury that had been bothering him throughout the preseason and how will be gone at least the next eight weeks.

Mariota joins guard Denzelle Good and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy who were also placed on IR this week. Mariota was the first of the three to suffer his injury. It was on the third play of the game when Mariota came in the game at QB and Derek Carr split out wide. Mariota kept the ball on a read option and sprinted up the middle for a 31-yard gain.

It was just the kind of play Jon Gruden had been hoping to see from Mariota, adding an extra wrinkle to his offense. And it will be the last time he sees such a play from Mariota for a while.

This is the second season in a row with the Raiders that Mariota has spent the first part of season on injured reserve. Last season he wasn’t activated until week ten and didn’t see the field until week 14 when he came in for an injured Derek Carr early in their game against the Chargers.

To fill the roster spot, the Raiders signed linebacker Marquel Lee from the practice squad. Lee was a fifth round pick by the Raiders in 2017. He spent three seasons with the Raiders and was cut prior to the 2020 season and hasn’t played an NFL snap since. He spent this offseason with the Bills before being waived prior to the season and signing back with the Raiders onto the practice squad.

The team also announced that they have elevated G Lester Cotton and RB Trey Ragas from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Steelers.