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The Pittsburgh Steelers are 7-4-1 entering their Week 14 game with the 2-10 Oakland Raiders, and on paper this is exactly what the Steelers need to end their two game losing streak and get their final quarter of the season off to the right start before facing the likes of the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints in consecutive weeks.
If only they played the game on paper...
The Steelers cross-country trek to Oakland hasn’t been a pretty one for the black-and-gold. The last time Pittsburgh went to Oakland and won was in 1995, and Neil O’Donnell was the quarterback. To put that into perspective, Ben Roethlisberger was 13 when that took place. Oakland hasn’t been pretty for the Steelers, but they hope to buck the trend in what is likely their last trip to Oakland since the Raiders are moving to Las Vegas in the very near future.
This seems like slam dunk pick, but the vast majority of NFL experts thought the Steelers would win the past two weeks against the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, and we all know how that panned out. Nonetheless, it is that time of the week when I take a look at the NFL experts around the internet, and who they like this Steelers vs. Raiders Week 14 matchup.
Wouldn’t you know that as I was scrolling through my Rolodex of websites, I couldn’t find one who had an expert who picked the Raiders to win at home. This includes ESPN, CBS Sports and even the hardcore haters here at SB Nation.
However, thanks to our friend at NFL Pick Watch, there were a few lost souls who picked Oakland to hold serve at home and keep the curse of the Black Hole alive and well. According to NFL Pick Watch, a website which compiles all NFL expert picks and compiles them into one easy-to-read graph, 99% of experts are taking the Steelers this Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Will the Steelers finally prove the experts right? Or will this be another case of Pittsburgh going into the western time zone and fumbling away any chance of victory? Only time will tell...