The Raiders tried to mount a comeback after the Steelers built a 23-7 lead. But in the end, Pittsburgh was able to hold on for a 23-18 victory on Sunday Night Football.
Las Vegas made things interesting midway through the fourth quarter when Davante Adams caught a 1-yard touchdown from Jimmy Garoppolo — stopping a string of 23 straight points scored by Pittsburgh. Garoppolo then hit rookie tight end Michael Mayer in the end zone for a successful two-point conversion, making the score 23-15.
Pittsburgh then went three-and-out for the second consecutive possession, giving the Raiders the ball back at their own 48-yard line with 4:35 left in the game.
Las Vegas kicked a field goal from 48-yards out with 3:15 left. But Pittsburgh was called for a leverage penalty, giving the Raiders 15 yards and a first down at the Steelers’ 14 — and taking three points off the board.
But those three points went right back on three plays later after Garoppolo’s third-and-4 pass was incomplete. Carlson’s 26-yard field goal was good to make the score 23-18 with 2:22 left.
Las Vegas had three timeouts plus the two-minute warning to stop the clock. But Kenny Pickett found Allen Robinson for a 6-yard gain on third-and-2 to move the chains and keep the ball.
The Raiders didn’t get the ball back until there were 12 seconds on the clock. And when looking for Adams down the left sideline, Levi Wallace went up to intercept the pass — his second pick of the day.
That sealed the result, pushing Pittsburgh to 2-1 on the year.
After a rough two weeks to start the season, the Steelers’ offense put up 333 total yards with 17 first downs. The club was 6-of-15 on third down and had zero giveaways.
Pickett finished 16-of-28 passing for 235 yards with two touchdowns, good for a 108.5 passer rating. Najee Harris had 19 carries for 65 yards. George Pickens had four receptions for 75 yards while Calvin Austin caught a 72-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
On the other side, Garoppolo was 28-of-44 for 324 yards with two touchdowns and three picks. Adams continued to be a monster, catching 13 passes for 172 yards with two TDs. Josh Jacobs had 62 yards on 17 carries.
T.J. Watt put up 2.0 sacks to get to 6.0 sacks on the season. Patrick Peterson joined Wallace in intercepting Garoppolo.
Now at 2-1, the Steelers will be on the road again to face the 1-2 Texans.
The 1-2 Raiders will be on the road to face the 1-2 Chargers in Los Angeles.