After a rough opening week, the Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to have turned things around.
The Steelers got out to an early jump and got their second straight win over the Las Vegas Raiders 23-18 on Sunday night.
Even though the Raiders got there first — quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo hit Davante Adams for a 32-yard score in the first quarter — Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett responded immediately. Pickett hit Calvin Austin for a 72-yard touchdown to tie the game again. Austin was wide open in the middle of the field, and the play marked the longest touchdown run against the Raiders in team history. The previous record came in 1972 with “Immaculate Reception”.
The Steelers almost completely shut down the Raiders’ offense from then on. Pittsburgh scored three straight field goals before Pickett hit Pat Freiermuth for another touchdown in the third quarter. This gave the Steelers a 23-7 lead.
Adams scored for the second time late in the fourth quarter, and the Raiders turned their first two-point conversion into a one-score game in their last eight attempts. Then, after going into the red zone, the Raiders fumbled with just over two minutes to get back within five points.
The Raiders made one last stop and got the ball back with 12 seconds left, but Garoppolo threw his third interception to end the game. The Steelers won by five points.
Pickett finished the night 16-of-28 for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Najee Harris had 65 rushing yards on 19 carries for Pittsburgh. Garoppolo finished the night 28-44 for 324 yards with two touchdowns to go along with his three interceptions. Adams had 172 receiving yards on 13 catches.
Relive the “Sunday Night Football” matchup with Yahoo Sports here.
