Steelers Vs. Raiders: First Half Open Thread

A hostile environment with a few days off to follow...there's plenty on the line here for the Steelers in their Week 3 game at Oakland.

The Raiders seem to be facing a difficult transition offensively. Their zone running game hasn't brought an immediate level of success, and could struggle again today as the Steelers look to keep them at or around Oakland's 34 rushing yards per game average.

Pittsburgh has a few big advantages in terms of the passing game, and could eschew previous established guidelines on frequency of running plays.

Or they could run the ball at will. Both things seem possible for Pittsburgh in this game, so the question is are they ready to explode offensively? Are they able to get past their own ground struggles and head into the bye week at 2-1, with the returns of Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, Rashard Mendenhall and Stevenson Sylvester imminent?

For sure, this team will look much different in Week 5 than it does in Week 3. Right after the break, they're facing a tough stretch of two games in five days, so this is a big game, indeed.

Taken 2 Trailer | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders [9/23/12] (via hooper119)