That game was definitely a tribute to Franco and his 1970s Steelers. The Pittsburgh Steelers honored the late Franco Harris and his 197 Immaculate Reception with a last-second comeback victory over the Raiders.
If you are a fan of high-scoring, fast-paced football, then last night’s game was not for you.
It was one of the worst offensive showings that didn’t involve the Denver Broncos this season, which is saying a lot. The only two touchdowns came at the polar opposite ends of the game, with the Raiders getting a 7-0 lead on the opening possession and the Steelers taking a 13-10 lead with under 45 seconds to go.
Truth be told, it was a really bad game to watch as both teams are struggling to just back into the AFC playoff hunt, let alone winning their, respective, divisions. If there wasn’t the heartfelt Franco Harris tribute and the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, I would have turned this game off at halftime.
There’s a reason why Derek Carr and the Raiders offense have swirling trade rumors around their heads this season as they’ve been one of the poorest units in the NFL. Carr threw a horrific 16/30 completions for 174 yards, 1 TD, and 3 INTs, with his final interception being a wild pass over the middle that sealed the game.
He hasn’t had really any on-field relationship with Devante Adams (2 REC, 15 yards) despite their Fresno State connection. and has actively lost bond he formed with Hunter Renfrow (4 REC, 42 yards, 1 TD) and Darren Waller (4 REC, 58 yards) last season.
Josh Jacobs, who was completely shutdown this game, has been the only reliable source of offense that Josh Mcdaniels can rely on, and even that hasn’t been enough to save the Raiders from a looming double-digit loss season.
If I was Las Vegas’ GM, I’d trade their 1st round pick this season and Derek Carr for one of the Top-5 picks to draft a new QB and then use the Carr money to resign Jacobs.
Though, that money should also be spent on their offensive lines as the Steelers defense racked up 58 tackles, 3 sacks, 6 TFL, 7 PD, and 5 QB hits as they kept the Raiders out of the endzone completely after the first score.
Cameron Heyward invoked the footballing skillset of “Mean” Joe Greene as he ripped through the Raiders guards and got 7 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 TFL, 1 PD, and 2 QB hits, while T.J. Watt didn’t do too bad either with a half dozen tackles. Though, like I said, it was the Steelers secondary led by Minkah Fitzpatrick (2 tackles, 2 PD, 1 INT), Cameron Sutton (3 tackles, 1 PD, 1 INT), and Arthur Maulet (1 tackle, 1 PD, 1 INT) brought in 3 interceptions to win the game for Harris’ memory.
Nevertheless, I do want to point out how great Kenny Pickett played. In probably his best outing of the season, Pickett overcame a formidable sack duo of Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones to lead a 70-yard drive in 2-minutes.
He looked as cool as Terry Bradshaw did during the final drive of the Immaculate Reception game, while George Pickens (5 REC, 57 yards, 1 TD) had the hands of Roy Jefferson to come down with the bullet pass.
Now, with this win being their fifth in the last six games, the Steelers (7-8) might actually have an outside shot of a playoff spot and the chance of Mike Tomlin keeping his winning season record alive. Reversely, this loss all but dooms the Raiders (6-9) to another year outside the playoffs.
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