Friday Football Footnotes: A Christmas shopping list for Steelers as they look to beat the Raiders
Share this post:
It hasn’t been pretty for the Pittsburgh Steelers lately when it comes to facing the Raiders. The Black and Gold can only boast two wins since 2006 against the Silver and Black.
Neither team’s record is pretty either. Both clubs are 6-8 and barely have pulses when it comes to the AFC playoff chase. So desperation will be in the air along with Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve when these two teams tangle at Acrisure Stadium.
For “Friday Football Footnotes” this week, we put together a list of things Mike Tomlin’s team must do against Las Vegas to avoid getting a lump of coal in their stockings come Christmas morning.
‘Be light on your feet’
That old Tomlinism needs to be dusted off this week against the Raiders on defense.
The Steelers could afford to load up and stop the run last Sunday in Charlotte. They did, and it worked. Carolina only managed 21 yards rushing after grinding out 223 the week before. But the Panthers don’t throw the ball well. At 170 yards passing per game, they are 30th in the NFL.
This week coordinator Teryl Austin’s unit faces a much more diversified attack. The Raiders feature Josh Jacobs, the NFL’s leading rusher at 106.8 yards per game. They have receiver Davante Adams at 91.1 yards per game — fourth best in the NFL. Quarterback Derek Carr is 10th in adjusted QBR. And pass-catching weapons Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow have returned after extended time away from the field because of injuries.
So the Steelers defense has to be able to contain Jacobs without making themselves vulnerable against the pass.
“When you look at their skill-position guys, they’re really good across the board,” Austin said this week. “They have a few more things that they can probably get to, in terms of allowing us to just really stack the box and get as many people in the box. So, that’s going to present a big challenge for us, and we’re going to have to be able to hold up, maybe playing lesser guys in the box.”
Austin also said the Steelers need to be wary of Mack Hollins as a downfield threat. He scored a touchdown against the New England Patriots last week.
More Steelers
• U mad, bro?: Steelers fans are right to be mad at Marcus Allen, and they’re letting him hear it — Mike Tomlin, Pirates too
• Immaculate Reception anniversary events Friday moved inside because of weather
• Prepping for Christmas Eve game, Steelers have history of playing on holidays
Carbon copy
For as good as the Steelers rush defense was last week against the Panthers, perhaps the most effective way to contain their ground attack was turned in by Matt Canada’s offense.
The Steelers held the ball for 36 minutes, 11 seconds. That kept their own defense fresh and Carolina’s offense on the sideline.
Given how much more potent the Raiders offense can be with those weapons we outlined above, winning the time-of-possession battle and maintaining drives should be critical elements to Saturday’s game as well.
“I think we’ve seen, since the bye week, that if we control the game, if we stay on the field, it helps us tremendously as a team,” center Mason Cole said Thursday.
In their four wins since the bye, the Steelers have won the time-of-possession battle. In their two losses, the opponent has held onto the ball longer. Via Matt Williamson of ESPN Pittsburgh and Steelers Nation Radio, the Steelers now have 35 drives of 10 or more plays. That is tied with Kansas City for the most in the NFL.
Keep the Carr parked
Carr’s numbers this year actually aren’t great. His completion percentage of 61.2 is the worst it’s been since 2015. It’s 30th in the league. His passer rating of 89.2, yards per game (239.1) and yards per attempt (7.1) are as low as they have been since 2017.
In terms of league rankings, Carr is middle tier in most statistical categories. But he does have 23 touchdowns (8th in the NFL), and he’s usually very good against the Steelers. In three games against Pittsburgh, he has won two of them. He has averaged 335 yards per contest. His passer rating is 113.9, and he has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 8-1.
“He’s a rhythm decision maker. He makes decisions largely on time. He can anticipate, he’s got arm talent. He’s a gym rat and a competitor. I enjoyed getting to know him when we coached the Pro Bowl a number of years back,” Tomlin said.
Because of Jacobs’ success, Carr hasn’t had to put up big yardage numbers. Vegas has won four of its last five games, and Carr has only topped 300 yards passing in one of them.
Pay ‘Maxx’-imum attention to No. 98
The Steelers really need to account for Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. The vast majority of Vegas’ pass rush comes from him.
Crosby has 11.5 sacks this year, seventh in the NFL. He leads the league with 19 tackles for loss. He didn’t record a sack against the Steelers last year, but Crosby did have a tackle for loss. Plus, he registered five quarterback hits.
“Crosby has got a ridiculous motor,” Tomlin said. “He’s been highly productive. We’re not unfamiliar with him. We saw him last year and what he’s capable of, and we need to fare better this time around to be quite honest with you.”
Despite Crosby’s presence, the Raiders only have 25 sacks as a team. Only the Bengals (22), Falcons (19) and Bears (17) have fewer. Chandler Jones is second on the team at 4.5 sacks, but no one else on the team has recorded two sacks this year. Las Vegas failed to record a sack against the Patriots last week.
Better down the stretch
Late-game execution has been an issue against the Raiders historically. This franchise has beaten the Steelers six out of the last eight times they have played.
“They keep beating us at the end of the game,” safety Terrell Edmunds said. “They beat us on the last play sometimes. That’s what has been happening.”
Of those six Raiders victories since ‘06, four of them have been by three points and one was (‘06) by a touchdown. The only victory in that bunch that was by more than one score was last year’s 26-17 result in Pittsburgh. But even that game was within six points with just under five minutes remaining.
Of course, the Steelers do have one late-game comeback win under their belts against the Raiders that is somewhat memorable.
No. 1: “Immaculate Reception” (Dec. 23, 1972) @Steelers @FrancoHarrisHOF #NFL100
: NFL 100 Greatest Plays on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/keVjFnmpK9
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2019
Keep an eye out. You may see that play revisited once or twice this weekend.