September 19, 2023 • 19 mins
Tom and Matt break down the Steelers matchup on Sunday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We got some work to do.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
This is the Advanced Scout with Tom Opperman and Matt Williamson.
Steelers turned the page after getting the first win of
the season against the Browns on Monday Night Football and
now will be featured on Sunday Night Football in Las Vegas,
first road game of the year for the Steelers. Both
Pittsburgh and Vegas enter this game at one and one.
(00:21):
Like I said, Steelers with a big win on Monday Night,
and of course the Raiders coming off just getting absolutely
housed by the Bills in Buffalo last week. Matt, and
just to put that in perspective, the Bills produced twenty
nine first downs compared to just thirteen for Vegas last week,
and Buffalo ran seventy four plays totally four hundred and
fifty total yards compared to Vegas thirty nine plays for
(00:42):
just two hundred and forty yards. They also doubled up
time of possession forty to twenty. So, I mean, really,
what the dominant performance you can get. Yeah, it doesn't
tell us much about the Raiders, does it.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
It doesn't. I mean, we'll get into them, but they're
not a very good football team right now. They might
help cure what ales the Steelers a little bit. But
I don't know the Steelers are going to rack up
twenty nine first downs against them either, after what they
had nine this past week, I think. I mean, so
we'll see, yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Before we get into series history, Raiders, d Raiders, Oh,
all that good stuff. Just a quick statistic that I'm
sure you've heard already. It's Tuesday when we're recording this,
so the game is still less than twenty four hours
from being complete. But I've heard this about a thousand times, Matt.
The Steelers gained negative seven yards in the fourth quarter
against the Browns on Monday Night Football, yet they still
completed the fourth quarter comeback and were able to get
(01:30):
the win. Sure, that's why you're seeing out in the
history of I'm watching football since about nineteen ninety seven,
since I could realize what I've been watching. Never heard
of that at.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
All, me neither. It's sponkers. How about this one, I'll
try to trump yours. And the Steelers scored twenty six
points but never snapped the ball inside the opposing thirty
yard line, not even the red zone. The thirty never
had a snap there, but they had twenty six.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Points fourteen points from the defense. He obviously from the offense.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
And we've been team no explosives. Well they got an
explosive or two, but they just never got to the
red zone to know how they're doing in the red zone.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
When now they move on to the Raiders Raiders home opener.
Since moving to Las Vegas, they are eleven and fourteen
at home. About this too. Since the start of twenty
twenty two, Vegas has had fourteen games decided by one
score eight points or less, as the most in the
league during that time, and the Raiders are five and
nine in such contests. So what I'm getting at there
is what happened last week in Buffalo doesn't usually happen
to these lately. It's usually a pretty close game. Week
(02:28):
one seventeen to sixteen win over the Broncos held true
to that point. Series history between these teams obviously a
storied one with an incredible rivalry in the seventies. It
began in the nineteen seventy and during that decade, the
Steelers and Raiders met eleven times, including five playoff battles,
three of which were for the AFC Championship Game. In
the seventies, the Raiders won six of those eleven. Overall,
(02:50):
the Oakland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas Raiders lead the series
seventeen to fourteen, but these teams have split three to
three in the postseason. Their most recent matchup last year
was a thirteen to ten win in the brutal cold
Franco Harris Knight, of course, Kenny Pickett leading the comeback.
The Steelers have won seven of the last ten, but
the Raiders did have a six game winning streak spanning
between nineteen seventy six and nineteen eighty four. Mike Tomlin
(03:13):
three and five against the Raiders under five hundred against Oakland,
Los Angeles, Las Vegas, whichever city that they're in. I
just think it's crazy. You know, we talk about those
Steelers in the seventies, six of eleven the Raiders came
out on top of those teams. I mean, that has
to be maybe the only team that had a betting
record against that dynasty.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yep, so real quick. I was born in nineteen seventy three.
I'm a lot older than you, and I learned being
a Steeler fan from my aunts and uncle Vin parents
of course, neighbors, et cetera, et cetera, and the intelligent
ones would say the Raiders maybe would have won three
or four Super Bowls if it wasn't for the Steelers,
of course, and more importantly, you know, for the rivalry
(03:51):
was I was taught when I was five, six, seven
years old. You don't hate the Browns, Bengals, Oilers. Again,
dating myself, you hate the race first and foremost.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
That's the enemy, Yeah, no doubt. See my generation tried
to invent that with the Patriots, but you just never
beat the Patriots. So it's really how you got to
kind of, you know, show.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Up those games.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, but they're always the one winning and holding the
little Bardi Trophy.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Hate them all you want, but they're not as.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Exactly. Let's look at these current Raiders and let's start
on the defensive side of the ball. I mean, they're
towards the bottom in almost every category that matters, but
they're pretty so are the Steelers defense. For what's that
that's worth. So both defenses have been rough so far.
Steeers and Raiders defenses each allows five point four yards
per snap. Only eight teams are worse. In Week one,
the Raiders gave up one hundred and thirty one total
(04:36):
yards to running backs, including ten receptions last week. They
give up two hundred and twenty six total yards to
the Bills running backs. The Bills running backs Matt the Bills,
notoriously not known for running the football for the past
three years.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Can na get going. I hope this is as good
an opportunities are gonna get.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Well, here's the thing with Najie. Yards per attempt has
been really solid so far this year. Five point one
in Week one, about four point six last week. It
might really just be of all you thing when it
comes to him, he's just not he's touch he's getting the.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
MS. I mean, he's getting contact. I haven't seen these numbers,
but still get in contact, contacted behind the line of
scrimmage much more than he did. His blocking hasn't helped him.
Let's just put that one.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So this is a good matchup for running backs, at
least so far. It has been Buffalo rush for one
hundred and eighty three yards last week against the Raiders,
But the Raiders also have a weakness in the passing
game because they allow posing wide receivers a league high
eighty three point nine percent catch rate. So that's secondary.
The only name that's really back there that people will
probably recognize is Marcus Allen. He's kind of at the
(05:35):
end of his road right now. It's not great at
any level of this defense, just you know, maybe good
player in Max Crosby.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
And say Max Crosby's a star. I mean he's not
quite boasts of Garrett level.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
But I put him right here right underneath.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
The Yeah, but they're hurting for legit starters when the
rest of their defense. I mean, Trevor Mooring's all right,
the safety. They drafted the kid out of Texas Tech
in the first round and trying to incorporate him is
a defensive end opposite Crosby. But man, they they're really
(06:08):
light on talent on this side of the ball and
have been for a couple of years.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Well, Max Crosby sticking with him because he is the
guy on the defense. He was pretty quiet against Buffalo,
he had six tackles, but he did have a sack
and a tackle for a loss in Week one against Denver.
But is he kind of just like a one man
band out there right now when it comes to the Raiders.
I mean, he was supposed to have Chandler Jones, but.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I don't know if and that's why they drafted the guy.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
He's kind of off the deep end too. I don't
know if people's been following him on social media. Jones
is yet to play a game this year for the Raiders.
He ain't gonna play this week against the Steelers either. Yeah,
I don't think he's gonna show up. I don't think
he's gonna play for them at all. And even if
he did, I mean, thirty three years old, thirty four
years last year too, he's probably at the end of
his rent.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
I would think, I mean, maybe he can. I think
he wants to just get out of there. He's kind
of an odd dude to begin with. Their linebackers aren't great,
the tackles aren't great, secondary isn't great. But unlike Garrett
now and both, Crosby is kind of a one man band,
and he does well against doubles and all that. But
Miles Garrett was the most doubled defense or most double
(07:08):
defensive lineman in the league last year. I bet it's
gonna be Crosby this year, just because why wouldn't you.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Steeers did a pretty good job in Week one and
Week two erasing Gosa racing Garrett really good job of
rasing Garrett last night.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Yeah, I mean not much statistically at all for either.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
One, the matchup between Watt and Garrett, the game between
the within the game, I mean, Watch just blew him
out of the gym. As far as you know, if
you're looking for who's going to establish themselves as that
DePoy front runner between these two guys drafted in the
same class of Wat by far, so this is the
third As far as the big test is concerned for
that Steelers offensive line, which I mean Matt, it hasn't
(07:42):
graded out well at all from any metric you would
look at, but it's done a good job of neutralizing superstars.
I think maybe the trickle down has been a problem
for them.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Drake Jackson had three sacks and other people caused problems.
But I think it's I don't know if the stats
do the Steelers oh line past protection justice, you know,
because Kenny's held the ball longer and he should. He
hasn't been in rhythm. But I wouldn't say the protection
has been good, you know what I mean, But they
(08:11):
the sack numbers aren't crazy. I don't know. I have
a hard time rapping or there's been so many issues
with the Steelers offense. It's kind of hard to pinpoint
who's to blame and who isn't because pretty much everyone's
to blame.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
As far as you know the casual fan and names
that you recognize. Max Crosby, we talked about Marcus Allen,
excuse me, Marcus Peters. Marcus Allen, Marcus Peters in the
secondary for the Raiders. Another one that everybody will recognize.
Starting linebacker on the inside, mister Roberts Splane. Yeah, I mean,
do you think the Steelers have problems that they're inside
(08:45):
linebacker spot? The guy who was the depth piece last
year is starting for the Raiders right now.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So I said this a week ago, and it's a
much easier challenge. I thought the middle of the field
was friar moose for the taking in one target. He
has two catches this year. I mean, like if you
can't get.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
On and they're like screen swing pass. Yeah, they're nothing
in the middle of the field. Nothing you saw like
in that Buffalo game down the middle of the seam.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
And everybody wants to give picket in the O line
and the offensive coordinator issues and they're all to blame.
Don't get me wrong, of course, is just I thought
he was their best offensive player last year. Get them
the ball.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
It's on the offensive coordinator for sure.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
And Kenny's not throwing the ball when he's been open sometimes.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Too, That's very true. Yeah, before we get to the Raiders' offense,
some disturbing stats in my eyes about the Steelers offense though, right,
but these ones really jump out to me. Steeers offense
is dropping back to pass on seventy four percent of
their snaps. Only the Minnesota Vikings are dropping back to
pass at a higher rate. They're zero and too, by
the way, putting up a lot of numbers, but not
winning football games. The Vikings are built to do that though,
(09:46):
Like if the Vikings wanted to pass that way, I
get that they traded their star running back and they
have Kirk Cousins, Jefferson, Jordan Addison, like they should throw
the ball at time establish quarterbacks. Steeers might get there
at some point. They've got the pieces that could grow
into that talent, that kind of talented player. But right now,
in all off season long, the narrative was we're gonna
run the footba, We're gonna build off of a running
game and things are gonna flow. The passing game is
(10:06):
gonna build off the running game. It's gonna be a
symbiotic relationship. But you don't have the passing game without
the running game. It's kind of like they just said
screw it for the running game. Pickett was lightening up
in the preseason. We're gonna throw it like we have Mahomes.
If Mahomes isn't throwing the ball, that.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
No nobody is except for one team. And I'm sure
that gets skewed. It's only two games. The whole second
half against the Niners was the row throw throw, come
from behind. But they're not the only team that's been
down on the scoreboard heavy, you know throughout the year.
I mean the Giants got blown out twice, you know,
in a row real quick. There's no mention of like
EPA on that that stat pack. But the Steelers offense.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Is last last.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Yeah, yeah, they're dead last. They're dead last in passing
and the only teams that are worse running the ball
are Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
So they run the ball, as we just said. And
the Raiders, you haven't done anything and.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
They got the returning rushing champ on the team.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Well said that goes hand in hand with that, driving
back to past seventy four percent of the time. One,
they just have ninety six rushing yards through two games
on the season. So far, through both of their games,
they still have yet to reach one hundred yards as
a team. As a team, as a team, we're not
talking about Harris. We're talking about ninety six total rushing
yards as a team. And think about Harris, He's had
a twenty one to eighteen yard run last on Monday
(11:24):
Night and still only ninety six yards. As a team,
Steelers offense is producing four point three yards per play.
Only Carolina and Cincinnati have a worse mark than that,
and I don't think Cincinnati is going to be hanging
out in that realm very long. I think I.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Actually don't think the Steelers will either. Hopefully they finished
last year in the top bottom six or seven, all right.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Turning to the Raiders offense produces five point three yards
per play. Only eight offenses are better. But that's stat's
very misleading because they don't really put up a lot
of yardage in the running game or in the passing game.
They've only scored twenty seven total points in two games.
That's tied for the fewest in the league with Cincy
in Carolina. Again, I don't think since he's gonna last
that long in the bottom of the barrel as far
(12:05):
as points scored are concerned. But Vegas is right there
with them.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Man.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I think that five point three yards per play. Why
I think it's misleading is they just they haven't had
the ball. They just don't possess the football at all.
The Raiders, Oh, ok, yeah, because they, like you said,
yards per play, there's only eight teams better than that,
so they're gaining yards per play.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
But they had their nineteen.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Minutes against the Bills. They had it for like twenty
five against the Broncos, even though they won that game. Like,
there's not running enough plays right now.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
No, and again, part of it because they didn't run
the ball hardly at all, Jacob said, minus two rushing yards.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, that's insanity.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
It's like hard to do well.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
The Steelers are dead last and rush defense so far
through two games, and they faced the rushing champ like
you just mentioned. Josh Jacobs third straight elite back coming
off of Christian McCaffrey and Nick Chubb, both of them
torched the Steelers until Chubb got hurt. He was just
eating that defense a love. No. It was a slow
start this year though for Jacobs. As you just mentioned.
First off, last year, they held Jacobs just forty four
(13:03):
yards on fifteen carries, and that was the season which
he had one thousand, six hundred and fifty three.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
So they had success when he was humming, a.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Lot of success against Josh Jacobs, but he only has
forty six rushing yards through two games. Jacob's handled ninety
one percent of the Raiders backfield touches in Week one.
Last week, the Raiders ran only fifteen times. They were
down pretty much from the start. Against the Bills, Jacobs
had nine of those fifteen carries, but like you said,
negative two yards on nine carries. Against Buffalo, he had
negative thirteen yards before contact and eleven yards after contact.
(13:33):
He was stuffed on five of his nine carries for
zero or negative yards. Jacobs was the Raiders' second leading
receiver though, catching five passes for fifty one yards, and
only Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley have and Josh Jacobs have
an eighty percent running back rush chair and a fifteen
percent target share through two games. So I mean, he's
out there all the time, right, Barkley McCaffrey. You think
of those two guys right at the top of the
(13:54):
list of dynamic pass catching backs, Josh Jacobs is just
as good and used just as much as they are.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Yeah, And that's one thing about Jacobs is during the
Gruden era, for whatever reason, they did not use him
as a pass catcher. And this past season, this rude
is a bit of a dinosaur. So yeah, he does
his way and they just didn't see him that way.
This staff has used him as an every down, true workhorse.
There aren't many workhorse backs in the world anymore, but
he's one of them now.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
DeVante Adams is the other big name on offense, and
I think he's the best overall player on the team,
no offense to Max Crosby, who's a great player on
the defensive side. But much like Jacobs, last year, the
Steelers shut Adams down. He had just two catches for
fifteen yards against Pittsburgh. No one was really passing the
ball in that game, though, and that conditions, yeah, exactly.
That was Adam's second lowest output in a game in
(14:41):
which he racked up a sixteen yard season was pretty scar.
Adams was the Raiders' leading receiver. He had eighty four
yards on six catches against Buffalo last week. He got
a touchdown in Week one against the Broncos. He is
not having a slow start to this season, no unlike
Josh Jacobs. But the Raiders were without Jacobe Meyers last week,
their second UH wide receiver on the depth chart, and
(15:02):
only one wide receiver had to catch other than Adams
last week, which is pretty hard to do in the NFL.
So Myers, when you're down all game and you're throwing.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
All exactly, you're losing by a million. Myers was in
concussion protocol last week, couldn't play, and Adams is in now,
so he got tinged up at the very end of
that game. So we'll see. I mean, that's a big
deal for the Steeler game.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Obviously, absolutely UH. Adams is probably the player that scares
me the most. Raiders team route sounds weird coming off
of the Steelers stinking against the run and Josh Jacobs
being good running back. But I've seen the secondary. I've
seen the secondary player for the Steelers this year, and
DeVante Adams is a whole other beat. No offense eye
you can keep better. He's a whole other beast.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Hunter Renfro another option, Austin Hooper the tight end.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Some other guys that you might see, you know, pop
up in the passing game, Michael Mayer. But none of
them are real monsters other than Adams.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
They don't use their they use their tight ends. Oddly,
they don't see as many snaps as you would think either.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
No, Jimmy G is the new element in that Raiders
offense takes over for Derek Carr. He was the Raiders
starter since twenty fourteen. In comes Garoppolo. I think last
year Jimmy G might have been having his best season
until he got hurt. Unfortunately he's written off. You know,
Trey Lance gets to start to start the season, he
gets hurt. Jimmy G comes in, looks like he's gonna
roll the Niners right through the NFC Championship game, as
Jimmy G seems to always do, and then he gets
(16:21):
hurt and then Party ends up taking over. The rest
is history. Now he's in Vegas. Through two games, he
has turned for three hundred and eighty five yards. He
has three touchdowns, but he also has three interceptions, so
turnover is a problem so far for Jimmy G. But
he's putting up decent numbers.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
I think he's been solid. I mean he's certainly not
I mean that Buffalo.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Game, he just kind of take him throw it away, like.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Yeah, I don't think Jimmy's been the problem. And he's
a professional quarterback.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
The case everywhere he goes. Yeah, yeah, exact, you put
the pieces around him. Will we probably get you to
the playoffs?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Signed? Yeah, yeah, probably win you a couple playoff games,
especially in San Francisco.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
He's yet to be sacked this year, so maybe offensive
line play doing better for the Raiders. Maybe he's getting
the ball out of his hands quick a little both. Yeah,
but I think that probably does change this week. The
Steelers have sacked the quarterback nine times over two games,
and I think TJ. Watt's on a bit of a
mission to tire or break his own sack record.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
It looks like a man possessed.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
And this is a little like our Niner conversation where
their best lineman is their left tackle and then the
other four Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Heigh Smith. Yeah, a long day again, but maybe maybe
j Watt has three sacks again.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
I mean Colton Miller's not Trent Williams, but the right
side's problematic. You know.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Well, let's look at some key matchups in this game.
First one being Raiders running behind them. Josh Jacobs versus
Steelers linebackers. Like we said, you run the rushing title
last season, but he's had a pretty slow start. But
this guy's definitely in the leagues of the McCaffrey. He's
in the leagues of a chub. He's in that echelon
when it comes to running backs, but probably kind of
the forgotten one when it comes to that group.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Yeah, and really asserted himself last year, as you mentioned.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
The title, Yeah, you put yourself on the map.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
And I would think Adams is more dangerous, but he
may or may not play. And if there a full
go I mean, if Myers, Adams, Jacobs, everybody's out there,
their weapons aren't to be you know, shrugged off. They're
They're a good group.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
And for the offensive side of the ball. For the Steelers,
this is obvious as I think it gets their pass
protection has to hold up against the Raiders defensive end.
Max Crosby, I think pretty much the only person on
the defensive side of the ball that has all pro
potential as far as I'm concerned. Yes, they did a
great job against Bosa and Garrett last week, and now
it comes to Max Crosby just quite simply don't let
(18:29):
him wreck the game, because that's pretty much the Raiders
game plan on defense. I think every week is cay
Max go out there and try to wreck the game.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
And he plays a ton of snaps. He never takes
time off. He is very long, very athletic. But this
these matchups are getting a little redundant. I mean every
week I've picked the opposing running back, the opposing d rusher,
and they've played three of the best and both positions
so far. After this game, I think we.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Might have that same thing next week against Houston as well.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Just a little Spoilerler, Yeah, pretty good.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Damon Pierce is a running So two nice matchups coming up.
Two nice matchups coming up for the Steelers. Hopefully you
get to three and one before one of the old
rat Birds come in to Ackershore Stadium, But we don't
want to get too far ahead of ourselves. First things first,
Sunday night football in Vegas. Steelers try to get to
two and one. Kick off at eight twenty on DVE
Steelers and Raiders. Matt and I will be back again
(19:18):
next week to break down Steelers and Texans on the
Advanced Scout
We got some work to do.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
This is the Advanced Scout with Tom Opperman and Matt Williamson.
Steelers turned the page after getting the first win of
the season against the Browns on Monday Night Football and
now will be featured on Sunday Night Football in Las Vegas,
first road game of the year for the Steelers. Both
Pittsburgh and Vegas enter this game at one and one.
(00:21):
Like I said, Steelers with a big win on Monday Night,
and of course the Raiders coming off just getting absolutely
housed by the Bills in Buffalo last week. Matt, and
just to put that in perspective, the Bills produced twenty
nine first downs compared to just thirteen for Vegas last week,
and Buffalo ran seventy four plays totally four hundred and
fifty total yards compared to Vegas thirty nine plays for
(00:42):
just two hundred and forty yards. They also doubled up
time of possession forty to twenty. So, I mean, really,
what the dominant performance you can get. Yeah, it doesn't
tell us much about the Raiders, does it.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
It doesn't. I mean, we'll get into them, but they're
not a very good football team right now. They might
help cure what ales the Steelers a little bit. But
I don't know the Steelers are going to rack up
twenty nine first downs against them either, after what they
had nine this past week, I think. I mean, so
we'll see, yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Before we get into series history, Raiders, d Raiders, Oh,
all that good stuff. Just a quick statistic that I'm
sure you've heard already. It's Tuesday when we're recording this,
so the game is still less than twenty four hours
from being complete. But I've heard this about a thousand times, Matt.
The Steelers gained negative seven yards in the fourth quarter
against the Browns on Monday Night Football, yet they still
completed the fourth quarter comeback and were able to get
(01:30):
the win. Sure, that's why you're seeing out in the
history of I'm watching football since about nineteen ninety seven,
since I could realize what I've been watching. Never heard
of that at.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
All, me neither. It's sponkers. How about this one, I'll
try to trump yours. And the Steelers scored twenty six
points but never snapped the ball inside the opposing thirty
yard line, not even the red zone. The thirty never
had a snap there, but they had twenty six.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Points fourteen points from the defense. He obviously from the offense.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
And we've been team no explosives. Well they got an
explosive or two, but they just never got to the
red zone to know how they're doing in the red zone.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
When now they move on to the Raiders Raiders home opener.
Since moving to Las Vegas, they are eleven and fourteen
at home. About this too. Since the start of twenty
twenty two, Vegas has had fourteen games decided by one
score eight points or less, as the most in the
league during that time, and the Raiders are five and
nine in such contests. So what I'm getting at there
is what happened last week in Buffalo doesn't usually happen
to these lately. It's usually a pretty close game. Week
(02:28):
one seventeen to sixteen win over the Broncos held true
to that point. Series history between these teams obviously a
storied one with an incredible rivalry in the seventies. It
began in the nineteen seventy and during that decade, the
Steelers and Raiders met eleven times, including five playoff battles,
three of which were for the AFC Championship Game. In
the seventies, the Raiders won six of those eleven. Overall,
(02:50):
the Oakland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas Raiders lead the series
seventeen to fourteen, but these teams have split three to
three in the postseason. Their most recent matchup last year
was a thirteen to ten win in the brutal cold
Franco Harris Knight, of course, Kenny Pickett leading the comeback.
The Steelers have won seven of the last ten, but
the Raiders did have a six game winning streak spanning
between nineteen seventy six and nineteen eighty four. Mike Tomlin
(03:13):
three and five against the Raiders under five hundred against Oakland,
Los Angeles, Las Vegas, whichever city that they're in. I
just think it's crazy. You know, we talk about those
Steelers in the seventies, six of eleven the Raiders came
out on top of those teams. I mean, that has
to be maybe the only team that had a betting
record against that dynasty.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yep, so real quick. I was born in nineteen seventy three.
I'm a lot older than you, and I learned being
a Steeler fan from my aunts and uncle Vin parents
of course, neighbors, et cetera, et cetera, and the intelligent
ones would say the Raiders maybe would have won three
or four Super Bowls if it wasn't for the Steelers,
of course, and more importantly, you know, for the rivalry
(03:51):
was I was taught when I was five, six, seven
years old. You don't hate the Browns, Bengals, Oilers. Again,
dating myself, you hate the race first and foremost.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
That's the enemy, Yeah, no doubt. See my generation tried
to invent that with the Patriots, but you just never
beat the Patriots. So it's really how you got to
kind of, you know, show.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Up those games.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, but they're always the one winning and holding the
little Bardi Trophy.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Hate them all you want, but they're not as.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Exactly. Let's look at these current Raiders and let's start
on the defensive side of the ball. I mean, they're
towards the bottom in almost every category that matters, but
they're pretty so are the Steelers defense. For what's that
that's worth. So both defenses have been rough so far.
Steeers and Raiders defenses each allows five point four yards
per snap. Only eight teams are worse. In Week one,
the Raiders gave up one hundred and thirty one total
(04:36):
yards to running backs, including ten receptions last week. They
give up two hundred and twenty six total yards to
the Bills running backs. The Bills running backs Matt the Bills,
notoriously not known for running the football for the past
three years.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Can na get going. I hope this is as good
an opportunities are gonna get.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Well, here's the thing with Najie. Yards per attempt has
been really solid so far this year. Five point one
in Week one, about four point six last week. It
might really just be of all you thing when it
comes to him, he's just not he's touch he's getting the.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
MS. I mean, he's getting contact. I haven't seen these numbers,
but still get in contact, contacted behind the line of
scrimmage much more than he did. His blocking hasn't helped him.
Let's just put that one.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So this is a good matchup for running backs, at
least so far. It has been Buffalo rush for one
hundred and eighty three yards last week against the Raiders,
But the Raiders also have a weakness in the passing
game because they allow posing wide receivers a league high
eighty three point nine percent catch rate. So that's secondary.
The only name that's really back there that people will
probably recognize is Marcus Allen. He's kind of at the
(05:35):
end of his road right now. It's not great at
any level of this defense, just you know, maybe good
player in Max Crosby.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
And say Max Crosby's a star. I mean he's not
quite boasts of Garrett level.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
But I put him right here right underneath.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
The Yeah, but they're hurting for legit starters when the
rest of their defense. I mean, Trevor Mooring's all right,
the safety. They drafted the kid out of Texas Tech
in the first round and trying to incorporate him is
a defensive end opposite Crosby. But man, they they're really
(06:08):
light on talent on this side of the ball and
have been for a couple of years.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Well, Max Crosby sticking with him because he is the
guy on the defense. He was pretty quiet against Buffalo,
he had six tackles, but he did have a sack
and a tackle for a loss in Week one against Denver.
But is he kind of just like a one man
band out there right now when it comes to the Raiders.
I mean, he was supposed to have Chandler Jones, but.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I don't know if and that's why they drafted the guy.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
He's kind of off the deep end too. I don't
know if people's been following him on social media. Jones
is yet to play a game this year for the Raiders.
He ain't gonna play this week against the Steelers either. Yeah,
I don't think he's gonna show up. I don't think
he's gonna play for them at all. And even if
he did, I mean, thirty three years old, thirty four
years last year too, he's probably at the end of
his rent.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
I would think, I mean, maybe he can. I think
he wants to just get out of there. He's kind
of an odd dude to begin with. Their linebackers aren't great,
the tackles aren't great, secondary isn't great. But unlike Garrett
now and both, Crosby is kind of a one man band,
and he does well against doubles and all that. But
Miles Garrett was the most doubled defense or most double
(07:08):
defensive lineman in the league last year. I bet it's
gonna be Crosby this year, just because why wouldn't you.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Steeers did a pretty good job in Week one and
Week two erasing Gosa racing Garrett really good job of
rasing Garrett last night.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Yeah, I mean not much statistically at all for either.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
One, the matchup between Watt and Garrett, the game between
the within the game, I mean, Watch just blew him
out of the gym. As far as you know, if
you're looking for who's going to establish themselves as that
DePoy front runner between these two guys drafted in the
same class of Wat by far, so this is the
third As far as the big test is concerned for
that Steelers offensive line, which I mean Matt, it hasn't
(07:42):
graded out well at all from any metric you would
look at, but it's done a good job of neutralizing superstars.
I think maybe the trickle down has been a problem
for them.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Drake Jackson had three sacks and other people caused problems.
But I think it's I don't know if the stats
do the Steelers oh line past protection justice, you know,
because Kenny's held the ball longer and he should. He
hasn't been in rhythm. But I wouldn't say the protection
has been good, you know what I mean, But they
(08:11):
the sack numbers aren't crazy. I don't know. I have
a hard time rapping or there's been so many issues
with the Steelers offense. It's kind of hard to pinpoint
who's to blame and who isn't because pretty much everyone's
to blame.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
As far as you know the casual fan and names
that you recognize. Max Crosby, we talked about Marcus Allen,
excuse me, Marcus Peters. Marcus Allen, Marcus Peters in the
secondary for the Raiders. Another one that everybody will recognize.
Starting linebacker on the inside, mister Roberts Splane. Yeah, I mean,
do you think the Steelers have problems that they're inside
(08:45):
linebacker spot? The guy who was the depth piece last
year is starting for the Raiders right now.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So I said this a week ago, and it's a
much easier challenge. I thought the middle of the field
was friar moose for the taking in one target. He
has two catches this year. I mean, like if you
can't get.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
On and they're like screen swing pass. Yeah, they're nothing
in the middle of the field. Nothing you saw like
in that Buffalo game down the middle of the seam.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
And everybody wants to give picket in the O line
and the offensive coordinator issues and they're all to blame.
Don't get me wrong, of course, is just I thought
he was their best offensive player last year. Get them
the ball.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
It's on the offensive coordinator for sure.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
And Kenny's not throwing the ball when he's been open sometimes.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Too, That's very true. Yeah, before we get to the Raiders' offense,
some disturbing stats in my eyes about the Steelers offense though, right,
but these ones really jump out to me. Steeers offense
is dropping back to pass on seventy four percent of
their snaps. Only the Minnesota Vikings are dropping back to
pass at a higher rate. They're zero and too, by
the way, putting up a lot of numbers, but not
winning football games. The Vikings are built to do that though,
(09:46):
Like if the Vikings wanted to pass that way, I
get that they traded their star running back and they
have Kirk Cousins, Jefferson, Jordan Addison, like they should throw
the ball at time establish quarterbacks. Steeers might get there
at some point. They've got the pieces that could grow
into that talent, that kind of talented player. But right now,
in all off season long, the narrative was we're gonna
run the footba, We're gonna build off of a running
game and things are gonna flow. The passing game is
(10:06):
gonna build off the running game. It's gonna be a
symbiotic relationship. But you don't have the passing game without
the running game. It's kind of like they just said
screw it for the running game. Pickett was lightening up
in the preseason. We're gonna throw it like we have Mahomes.
If Mahomes isn't throwing the ball, that.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
No nobody is except for one team. And I'm sure
that gets skewed. It's only two games. The whole second
half against the Niners was the row throw throw, come
from behind. But they're not the only team that's been
down on the scoreboard heavy, you know throughout the year.
I mean the Giants got blown out twice, you know,
in a row real quick. There's no mention of like
EPA on that that stat pack. But the Steelers offense.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Is last last.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Yeah, yeah, they're dead last. They're dead last in passing
and the only teams that are worse running the ball
are Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
So they run the ball, as we just said. And
the Raiders, you haven't done anything and.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
They got the returning rushing champ on the team.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Well said that goes hand in hand with that, driving
back to past seventy four percent of the time. One,
they just have ninety six rushing yards through two games
on the season. So far, through both of their games,
they still have yet to reach one hundred yards as
a team. As a team, as a team, we're not
talking about Harris. We're talking about ninety six total rushing
yards as a team. And think about Harris, He's had
a twenty one to eighteen yard run last on Monday
(11:24):
Night and still only ninety six yards. As a team,
Steelers offense is producing four point three yards per play.
Only Carolina and Cincinnati have a worse mark than that,
and I don't think Cincinnati is going to be hanging
out in that realm very long. I think I.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Actually don't think the Steelers will either. Hopefully they finished
last year in the top bottom six or seven, all right.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Turning to the Raiders offense produces five point three yards
per play. Only eight offenses are better. But that's stat's
very misleading because they don't really put up a lot
of yardage in the running game or in the passing game.
They've only scored twenty seven total points in two games.
That's tied for the fewest in the league with Cincy
in Carolina. Again, I don't think since he's gonna last
that long in the bottom of the barrel as far
(12:05):
as points scored are concerned. But Vegas is right there
with them.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Man.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I think that five point three yards per play. Why
I think it's misleading is they just they haven't had
the ball. They just don't possess the football at all.
The Raiders, Oh, ok, yeah, because they, like you said,
yards per play, there's only eight teams better than that,
so they're gaining yards per play.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
But they had their nineteen.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Minutes against the Bills. They had it for like twenty
five against the Broncos, even though they won that game. Like,
there's not running enough plays right now.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
No, and again, part of it because they didn't run
the ball hardly at all, Jacob said, minus two rushing yards.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, that's insanity.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
It's like hard to do well.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
The Steelers are dead last and rush defense so far
through two games, and they faced the rushing champ like
you just mentioned. Josh Jacobs third straight elite back coming
off of Christian McCaffrey and Nick Chubb, both of them
torched the Steelers until Chubb got hurt. He was just
eating that defense a love. No. It was a slow
start this year though for Jacobs. As you just mentioned.
First off, last year, they held Jacobs just forty four
(13:03):
yards on fifteen carries, and that was the season which
he had one thousand, six hundred and fifty three.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
So they had success when he was humming, a.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Lot of success against Josh Jacobs, but he only has
forty six rushing yards through two games. Jacob's handled ninety
one percent of the Raiders backfield touches in Week one.
Last week, the Raiders ran only fifteen times. They were
down pretty much from the start. Against the Bills, Jacobs
had nine of those fifteen carries, but like you said,
negative two yards on nine carries. Against Buffalo, he had
negative thirteen yards before contact and eleven yards after contact.
(13:33):
He was stuffed on five of his nine carries for
zero or negative yards. Jacobs was the Raiders' second leading
receiver though, catching five passes for fifty one yards, and
only Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley have and Josh Jacobs have
an eighty percent running back rush chair and a fifteen
percent target share through two games. So I mean, he's
out there all the time, right, Barkley McCaffrey. You think
of those two guys right at the top of the
(13:54):
list of dynamic pass catching backs, Josh Jacobs is just
as good and used just as much as they are.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Yeah, And that's one thing about Jacobs is during the
Gruden era, for whatever reason, they did not use him
as a pass catcher. And this past season, this rude
is a bit of a dinosaur. So yeah, he does
his way and they just didn't see him that way.
This staff has used him as an every down, true workhorse.
There aren't many workhorse backs in the world anymore, but
he's one of them now.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
DeVante Adams is the other big name on offense, and
I think he's the best overall player on the team,
no offense to Max Crosby, who's a great player on
the defensive side. But much like Jacobs, last year, the
Steelers shut Adams down. He had just two catches for
fifteen yards against Pittsburgh. No one was really passing the
ball in that game, though, and that conditions, yeah, exactly.
That was Adam's second lowest output in a game in
(14:41):
which he racked up a sixteen yard season was pretty scar.
Adams was the Raiders' leading receiver. He had eighty four
yards on six catches against Buffalo last week. He got
a touchdown in Week one against the Broncos. He is
not having a slow start to this season, no unlike
Josh Jacobs. But the Raiders were without Jacobe Meyers last week,
their second UH wide receiver on the depth chart, and
(15:02):
only one wide receiver had to catch other than Adams
last week, which is pretty hard to do in the NFL.
So Myers, when you're down all game and you're throwing.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
All exactly, you're losing by a million. Myers was in
concussion protocol last week, couldn't play, and Adams is in now,
so he got tinged up at the very end of
that game. So we'll see. I mean, that's a big
deal for the Steeler game.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Obviously, absolutely UH. Adams is probably the player that scares
me the most. Raiders team route sounds weird coming off
of the Steelers stinking against the run and Josh Jacobs
being good running back. But I've seen the secondary. I've
seen the secondary player for the Steelers this year, and
DeVante Adams is a whole other beat. No offense eye
you can keep better. He's a whole other beast.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Hunter Renfro another option, Austin Hooper the tight end.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Some other guys that you might see, you know, pop
up in the passing game, Michael Mayer. But none of
them are real monsters other than Adams.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
They don't use their they use their tight ends. Oddly,
they don't see as many snaps as you would think either.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
No, Jimmy G is the new element in that Raiders
offense takes over for Derek Carr. He was the Raiders
starter since twenty fourteen. In comes Garoppolo. I think last
year Jimmy G might have been having his best season
until he got hurt. Unfortunately he's written off. You know,
Trey Lance gets to start to start the season, he
gets hurt. Jimmy G comes in, looks like he's gonna
roll the Niners right through the NFC Championship game, as
Jimmy G seems to always do, and then he gets
(16:21):
hurt and then Party ends up taking over. The rest
is history. Now he's in Vegas. Through two games, he
has turned for three hundred and eighty five yards. He
has three touchdowns, but he also has three interceptions, so
turnover is a problem so far for Jimmy G. But
he's putting up decent numbers.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
I think he's been solid. I mean he's certainly not
I mean that Buffalo.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Game, he just kind of take him throw it away, like.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Yeah, I don't think Jimmy's been the problem. And he's
a professional quarterback.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
The case everywhere he goes. Yeah, yeah, exact, you put
the pieces around him. Will we probably get you to
the playoffs?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Signed? Yeah, yeah, probably win you a couple playoff games,
especially in San Francisco.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
He's yet to be sacked this year, so maybe offensive
line play doing better for the Raiders. Maybe he's getting
the ball out of his hands quick a little both. Yeah,
but I think that probably does change this week. The
Steelers have sacked the quarterback nine times over two games,
and I think TJ. Watt's on a bit of a
mission to tire or break his own sack record.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
It looks like a man possessed.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
And this is a little like our Niner conversation where
their best lineman is their left tackle and then the
other four Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Heigh Smith. Yeah, a long day again, but maybe maybe
j Watt has three sacks again.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
I mean Colton Miller's not Trent Williams, but the right
side's problematic. You know.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Well, let's look at some key matchups in this game.
First one being Raiders running behind them. Josh Jacobs versus
Steelers linebackers. Like we said, you run the rushing title
last season, but he's had a pretty slow start. But
this guy's definitely in the leagues of the McCaffrey. He's
in the leagues of a chub. He's in that echelon
when it comes to running backs, but probably kind of
the forgotten one when it comes to that group.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Yeah, and really asserted himself last year, as you mentioned.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
The title, Yeah, you put yourself on the map.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
And I would think Adams is more dangerous, but he
may or may not play. And if there a full
go I mean, if Myers, Adams, Jacobs, everybody's out there,
their weapons aren't to be you know, shrugged off. They're
They're a good group.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
And for the offensive side of the ball. For the Steelers,
this is obvious as I think it gets their pass
protection has to hold up against the Raiders defensive end.
Max Crosby, I think pretty much the only person on
the defensive side of the ball that has all pro
potential as far as I'm concerned. Yes, they did a
great job against Bosa and Garrett last week, and now
it comes to Max Crosby just quite simply don't let
(18:29):
him wreck the game, because that's pretty much the Raiders
game plan on defense. I think every week is cay
Max go out there and try to wreck the game.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
And he plays a ton of snaps. He never takes
time off. He is very long, very athletic. But this
these matchups are getting a little redundant. I mean every
week I've picked the opposing running back, the opposing d rusher,
and they've played three of the best and both positions
so far. After this game, I think we.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Might have that same thing next week against Houston as well.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Just a little Spoilerler, Yeah, pretty good.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Damon Pierce is a running So two nice matchups coming up.
Two nice matchups coming up for the Steelers. Hopefully you
get to three and one before one of the old
rat Birds come in to Ackershore Stadium, But we don't
want to get too far ahead of ourselves. First things first,
Sunday night football in Vegas. Steelers try to get to
two and one. Kick off at eight twenty on DVE
Steelers and Raiders. Matt and I will be back again
(19:18):
next week to break down Steelers and Texans on the
Advanced Scout
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