Vs.
By Scary Barry Rodriguez October 28, 2013
O.co. Coliseum , Oakland California - The wind was howling and the clouds were dark . Hundreds of costumed persons behaving in a menacing way shouted and gestured. No , I'm not describing trick or treating time ! It was the Oakland Raiders playing the not very menacing Pittsburgh Steelers. Nobody was frightened !
With the weather perfect for Sunday football ghouls, the Oakland Raiders started with a bang. After receiving the game kickoff the Raider offense started on the seven yard line. On the first play Terrelle Pryor faked a hand off to Darren McFadden and then sprinted into the wide open spaces on the way to a 93 yard touchdown run. Before the Steelers could blink they were behind 7-0. Big Ben Roethlisberger had a tough time operating against the Oakland defense in the first and second quarters.
Still in the first quarter after Rashad Jennings partially blocked a punt , the Raiders scored again on a 7 yard run by Darren McFadden. The Steelers offense couldn't put it together against a blitzing, hard hitting Raider defensive unit. The Steeler offensive line was depleted by injuries and their young receivers were better at posing than catching the ball !
With the exception of McFadden scoring again on a 4 yard run and a 47 yard field goal by Shaun Suishawn , offensively the second quarter was a barren wasteland of squandered scoring opportunities by both teams. Fortunately the Steelers couldn't take advantage of two Raider interceptions and the overall lackluster play of the offense. The score at the half was 21-3 in favor of the Raiders. With a couple of breaks the Pittsburgh Steelers could have been in the lead .
The third quarter was a display of mishaps. Steeler kicker Suishawn missed a field goal, his second of the game and the Raider offense disappeared. It slowly dawned on the Oakland Raider fans that if the Steelers offense woke up from its slumber the Raiders would be in big trouble. The " future " aka Terrelle Pryor hardly resembled a star in the pocket. His footwork was so bad that it looked like " Dancing With The Stars " under the influence ! Would this be another example of clutching defeat from the jaws of victory again ?
In the fourth quarter the defense kept the Raiders in the game by coming up with two drive killing interceptions. One by Tracy Porter and the other by Mike Jenkins. Yet the never say die Big Ben managed to contort his body away from a pass rush enough to pass to E. Sanders for a 9 yard touchdown play. It wasn't easy as the Oakland defense was feasting on the depleted Steeler O line and ripping the ball from the hands of their inexperienced receivers.
With less then two minutes on the game clock , Le 'Veon Bell scored on a 2 yard run for Pittsburgh. Then E. Sanders scored on a two point conversion. Seemly out of nowhere the Steelers had narrowed the score to 21-18 ! Time was on the side of the Oakland Raiders. The Pittsburg Steelers kicker Shaun Suishawn , who had missed two makable field goals couldn't pull off the on side kick and the last opportunity for Big Ben Roethlisberger was gone with wind !
During the entire game the NFL commentators couldn't stop gushing about Pryor's 93 yard touchdown run. Those of us actually watching the game noticed that the Raiders were only a few bone head plays away from defeat . The Oakland Raiders are still in a rebuild mode but you coundn't tell by the gratuitous celebrations their players held at every opportunity. Pryor was 10/19 for 88 yards and one great touchdown. Darren McFadden scored twice and carried the ball 24 times for 73 yards. The Raiders had 197 yards rushing. They managed only one first down in the entire second half !
The game ball goes to the defense again. Roethlisberger was sacked five times and intercepted twice. The Steelers were limited to only 35 yards rushing. The Pittsburgh Steelers looked like the injury depleted , aging , mediocre team they really are. The post game comments by Coach Dennis Allen were cautious and mindful of the fact that the victory was just another step towards being a complete team. Next up its another team having a bad year ! The Philadelphia Eagles have been crying not flying this season ! This is another opportunity game because the rest of the schedule is tough !
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