Two weeks into the season and the Steelers are depleted by injuries. After opening yesterday’s game against the Raiders with two unexpected absences on defense, the team lost two more key defenders, and they lost the game, too, 26-17.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr took advantage of the holes in the Steelers defense to pile up 382 yards passing, 263 of them in the second half. Sixty-one of those yards came on a long bomb touchdown pass to Henry Ruggs III after the Steelers had pulled to within two points early in the fourth quarter. The Raiders’ Daniel Carson kicked four field goals, including one after the Steelers’ Chris Boswell kicked a team record 56-yarder in the fourth quarter.
With cornerback Joe Haden and linebacker Devin Bush ruled out before the game, both with groin injuries, the Steelers lost nose tackle Tyson Alualu to a broken ankle in the first quarter, and they later lost linebacker TJ Watt to a groin injury. On the offensive side of the ball, wide receiver Diontae Johnson missed some plays with an undisclosed injury but returned. However on the last play of the game, he injured his knee trying to get out of bounds to give the Steelers one more play.
Steelers guard Trai Turner was ejected from the game in the fourth quarter after he spit on a Raider after he said he was spat upon. Turner and Raiders defensive tackle Solomon Thomas were both penalized 15 yards for the incident, which came after Steelers rookie Najee Harris scored his first NFL touchdown, on a 25-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Coach Mike Tomlin says the Steelers did not make some basic plays that would have helped them win the game.
Roethlisberger, who finished the day 27-for-40 passing for 295 yards, a touchdown and an interception, says the loss was his fault.
The Steelers’ offensive line allowed Roethlisberger to be hit ten times in the game and sacked once. And the running game could only manage 39 yards.
Defensive end Cam Heyward says the Steelers need to rally around the players still healthy enough to play and get back to work.
Harris, the Steelers’ first-round draft pick, ran for 38 yards on 10 carries and caught five passes for 43 more yards. He says the Steelers have to get better.
Next up for the Steelers is a game Sunday at Heinz Field against the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s the first game against an AFC North opponent. The Bengals are 0-2 after losing in the closing moments yesterday to the Bears, 20-17. The other AFC North teams are both 1-1. The Ravens upset the Chiefs, 36-35 and the Browns got by Houston, 31-21.
Comments