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The Raiders of wherever and the Pittsburgh Steelers have a long and storied history. They were playoff opponents six times The rivalry dates back to 1970, and the series includes three AFC Championship games. No matter the record of either team, they both always seem to put on a fantastic show with great storylines attached. The Raiders have won 6 of 8 and the last ten games. On the day after the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, this one should add to the drama of the rivalry.
Here’s a brief tale of the tape:
Points: Raiders 640, Steelers 597
Wins: Raiders 17, Steelers 13
Home Record: Steelers 8-6, Raiders 11-5
Shutouts: 1 - Raiders 17, Steelers 0 (9/29/1974)
Closest Game: Steelers 21, Raiders 20 (12/3/2000)
Biggest Win Margin: Steelers 35, Raiders 3 (11/21/2010)
Overtime Games: 5 - Steelers 4-1, Raiders 1-4
Postseason Record: Steelers 3, Raiders 3
December 23, 1972 - Steelers 13, Raiders 7 (1972 AFC Divisional Playoff Game)
Jack Fleming on the Steelers radio broadcast 50 years ago today...
“Hang onto your hats, here come the Steelers out of the huddle. Twenty-two seconds remaining. It’s down to one big play, fourth down and 10 yards to go. Terry Bradshaw at the controls. And Bradshaw....running out of the pocket, looking for somebody to throw to, fires it downfield, and there’s a collision! And it’s caught out of the air! The ball is pulled in by Franco Harris! Harris is going for a touchdown for Pittsburgh!
This is the game that began it all. This was the game that inspired a statue in an airport. This was the game that would give the jovial John Madden fits a conspiracy theory for years, and this was the game that converted Pittsburgh into a football town and turned decades of disappointment into dynasty.
Was this a great game of football excellence? Defensive excellence maybe, as both the Pittsburgh and Oakland defenders allowed no points in the opening 30 minutes. The longest play by the Raiders in the first half was an 11-yard pass play, Andy Russell intercepted Daryle Lamonica, and the Steelers opted out of a Roy Gerela field goal try from the enemy 31-yard line. In a weird bit of foreshadowing, Jack Tatum crashed into Frenchy Fuqua on 4th and 2 for the turnover on downs.
After the intermission, the defensive battle continued but the Steelers did get the game’s first points on the first possession with a field goal of 18 yards by Gerela, Later in the third, Lamonica was intercepted for the second time in the game, this time by Jack Ham. This gaffe prompted Head Coach John Madden to call for a quarterback change from Lamonica to the lefty, Ken Stabler. It was Terry Bradshaw’s turn for a mistake, as the Blonde Bomber threw a pick in Oakland territory, the Steelers’ only turnover of the game. But Stabler fumbled the ball inside the Oakland 25-yard line, and the Steelers could only drum-up a field goal by Gerela to extend the Steelers’ lead to 6–0. Stabler would, however, successfully lead the silver and black down the field, when he scored the game’s first touchdown on a fourth-quarter drive with a 30-yard touchdown run. The Blanda’s point-after made the score 7–6 with 1:17 left, setting up the scenario that Steelers’ fans and the football world knows well.
The game was different back then as opposed to today’s NFL when a one-point lead is not safe at all with that much time remaining on the clock. Starting from his own 20-yard line, Bradshaw moved the Steelers 20 yards to the 40-yard line with :22 seconds remaining and no time-outs, Head Coach Chuck Noll called a pass play, 66 Circle Option, intended for rookie receiver Barry Pearson. Bradshaw, facing great pressure from Tony Cline and Horace Jones, threw the ball to the Raiders’ 35-yard line, toward Fuqua. The collision just as the ball arrived knocked Fuqua to the Three Rivers Stadium turf and sent the ball sailing backward several yards, end over end. Franco Harris, after initially blocking on the play, had run downfield should TB12 need another option and snagged the sailing ball just before it hit the ground. Harris ran past linebacker Gerald Irons, while linebacker Phil Villapiano, who had been covering Franco, was blocked by tight end John McMakin. Harris stiff-armed to defensive back Jimmy Warren and the 230-pounder trucked in for the score. The touchdown gave the Steelers a 12–7 lead as the black-and-gold faithful stormed the field in jubilation. There was the debate of whether the deflection was a double touch. If Tatum touched the ball first, the play would have been good, but if it was initially deflected off of Fuqua, the play would have been ruled illegal. The officials huddled and it has always been rumored that a television was used as instant replay. Finally, the play was officially deemed a touchdown after over five minutes and Gerela added the ensuing extra point for a 13-7 final. The Steelers would lose the next week in the AFC Championship Game, but a dynasty and culture was forever forged in steel that day.
December 29, 1974 - Steelers 24, Raiders 13 (1974 AFC Championship Game)
It was a blissful time for the inhabitants of the City of Steel as their 11-3-1 Pittsburgh Steelers were on the precipice of their first Super Bowl, but first needed to vanquish an already hated rival in John Madden’s Oakland Raiders. The Raiders had fabled names such as Ken Stabler, Fred Belitnikoff, Cliff Branch, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Jim Otto, Bubba Smith, Phil Villapiano, George Atkinson, Jack Tatum, Otis Sistrunk, Dave Casper, Willie Brown, Dave Dalby, George Blanda, and Ray Guy. They were a team that very easily could have been the team of the decade had it not been for the upstart visitors wearing white. However, the Steelers were riled up after an impassioned pregame speech by Chuck Noll. The speech was inspired by Madden’s comment after beating Miami the week before by saying that “the NFL’s two best teams just played”.
With the stakes being a trip to New Orleans to face the Minny Vikes (who had beaten the Rams earlier in the day) in the Super Bowl on the line, both teams needed to be in top form. But it didn’t exactly start that way for the Steelers. Guy booted a 56-yarder that Lynn Swann fumbled after a 13-yard return to set up the Raiders at the Pittsburgh 28. But the staunch Steel Curtain tightened up when Glen Edwards broke up a sure first down when he rocked Cliff Branch with a monstrous hit. The ancient Blanda kicked a 40-yarder for a 3-0 lead. After starting with good field position, Bradshaw rallied the Steelers down to the Oakland three. Roy Gerela shanked a 20-yarder. The Steelers, with a good starting spot again, stalled at the six. But this time Gerela connected to tie the score.
In the second, it had appeared that the Steelers finally took the lead on a gorgeous one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone by John Stallworth. However, the rookie was ruled out of bounds. In this day and age of instant replay, it would have been overturned. Two plays later, Bradshaw threw an interception and an angry Stallworth got called for a late hit on the return. On the ensuing drive, Branch beat Mel Blount on a reception that got him down to the one. However, the legendary Otto fell trying to stop the fevered rush by Mean Joe and inadvertently tripped him. The big gain was negated by the tripping penalty and the Raiders brought out Blanda for a 38-yard attempt and a 6-3 lead. But Jack Lambert blocked it and the halftime score was 3-3.
In the third, Rocky Bleier fumbled at his own 39 and the Raiders were in business. But Jack Ham stepped in front of a Stabler pass for a pick at the 22 to stop the Raider drive. But it amounted to nothing for Pittsburgh. The Raiders who were struggling on the ground (Clarence Davis’ four-yarder on the game’s first handoff was Oakland’s longest run of the day) went to the air. Branch beat Blount badly again on a long pass play, but it went off of his fingertips. But Stabler went to that well again and the NFL’s leader in TD catches (13) burned No. 47 again, this time holding on to the ball for a 38-yard score. 10-3 Oakland. On their next drive, the offensive line opened up holes as Bleier and Harris dominated the Raiders. On the first play of the fourth, Harris scored from eight yards out to tie the game at 10-10
The unflashy Ham was a superstar that day when he thieved interception No. 2 and rumbled to the nine. A few plays later, Bradshaw connected with Lynn Swann for a six-yard score. 17-10 Steelers. With nearly eight minutes remaining, Branch (9 catches for 186 yards) continued his stellar day with a 43-yard reception, followed by a ten. But with a fourth down from the Steeler 7, Madden sent out Blanda who hit from 24-out. It was now 17-13.
The Raiders had two more chances but couldn’t convert. With Oakland down by four and driving with 1:18 left, the Steelers gang rushed Stabler and sacked him, but J.T. Thomas was nailed for holding in the secondary. Enraged, he picked up the flag and spiked it. Today that would have definitely drawn more of a penalty. On the next play, Thomas intercepted a Stabler duck and returned it 38 yards to the Oakland 25 with one minute remaining. The game was sealed when Franco scored from 21 out two plays later. The Steelers were carried by Franco’s 111 yards and Rocky’s 98. On defense, a pair of Jacks, a Joe and a J.T, snuffed the life out of Al Davis’ team. After 41 years, Art Rooney finally found his team in the Super Bowl and we all know what followed. It was a dynasty.
January 4, 1976 - Steelers 16, Raiders 10 (1975 AFC Championship Game)
It could get cold in Oakland, but John Madden’s Raiders we’re not really accustomed to temperatures in the teens, wind chills of -1, playing with several inches of snow on the ground and a surface that was icy along the sidelines where the edge of the top blew off in the high winds. With a trip to Miami and Super Bowl X on the line, the Steelers-Raiders rivalry was never hotter despite the arctic air. “The ice may have been worse than the cold, especially the ice along the sidelines,” said Raiders coach John Madden. “It made it tough for our receivers, because we use them for turning and cutting and working their way back to the ball. A lot of times when we thought we had something going, we couldn’t use those things.” In a game without Joe Greene, the Steelers needed to take advantage of Joe DeNardo’s forecast.
The weather hindered both teams, in fact, the Steelers surrendered eight of the game’s 13. The carnage started early with the Raiders Jack Tatum intercepting Terry Bradshaw with the home team marching towards the end zone. In fact, Bradshaw was picked off twice by Tatum in the first quarter, the second and overthrow to Frank Lewis setting up Madden’s team. However, the Steelers defense held strong, as the Raiders were slipping and sliding, and limited the visitors to merely a 38-yard field goal attempt by George Blanda that went wide right. In the second quarter, Mike Wagner’s diving interception return of 20 yards set up the Steelers with good field position with 10;30 to go in the half. Intended receiver Marv Hubbard slammed down Wagner on the frozen synthetic turf, and No. 23 retaliated through a sea of white jerseys on the Oakland sideline. The turnover set up a true Roy Gerela field goal of 36 yards. The kick sailed through the uprights for a 3-0 lead. Oakland looked to counter, but the cold air and an even more frigid Stabler wouldn’t allow it as receivers dropped passes and Jack Ham, along with Wagner, had near interceptions for the Steelers. While the Steelers dropped balls by Bradshaw, the Raiders hung on to their theft opportunities as Lonnie Johnson picked off a deep ball to Lynn Swann at the end of the half.
In the third quarter, the defenders of the Lombardi began to assert themselves as the aggressors with Bradshaw going pick-free and the Steelers defense exerting a punishing suffocation mode on the men in white, silver and black. This was done by Ernie Homes and Andy Russell recording the first two sacks of the game for the Steelers, Jack Lambert dropping a sure pick-six, but recovering 3 Raider fumbles. The Steelers were giving the ball away themselves as Mike Collier coughed up a punt and Swann surrendered the ball after a nasty hit by Tatum relegated No. 88 to be hauled off on a stretcher.
In the fourth, Franco Harris (137 yards from scrimmage) took a handoff on a running play designed to go between the tackles, but it turned into a 44-yard touchdown when Harris bounced outside, took advantage of John Stallworth’s downfield block, and ran to paydirt on a slick sideline dash. Inspired, Stabler started looking for tight end Dave Casper for stability and finished off the drive with a 14-yard pass to Mike Siani over J.T. Thomas for the touchdown that cut the Steelers’ lead to a mere 3 points at 10-7. After a stop of the black-and-gold offense later in the quarter, the Ravens had a chance to tie or even take the lead, but Marv Hubbard ran into the Steel Curtain and the ball squirted loose for Lambert to pounce on for her third fumble recovery of the game at the Raiders 25-yard line. One play later Stallworth made a stellar catch in the back corner of the end zone. The snap for the extra point was fumbled, and the Steelers led by the score of 16-7. The Raiders were unable to move the ball on their next possession, and the game seemed to be on ice both figuratively and literally. However, Harris lost a fumble with the Steelers trying to drain the clock, putting Pittsburgh people in parkas in a petrified position. But the Steelers defense continued to dominate, forcing a fourth-and-long and Madden choosing to go for a 41-yard field goal by Blanda with :17 seconds left. After Blanda converted to make it 16-10, the Raiders made things even more uneasy when came up with the onside kick. Then, with :07 seconds left from the Oakland 48, Stabler completed a a 37-yard pass at the Steelers 15-yard line, but Mel Blount tackled Cliff Branch in bounds and the clock ran out in a game where the elements were as harrowing as each of the opposing defenses. When asked about the conditions, Noll quipped, “You couldn’t do the things you do normally. You couldn’t play perfect football, but it was a true test. It brings out character. Nobody wants fumbles, but you have to overcome them.” Nonetheless, the Steelers were on their way to their second Super Bowl an subsequent Lombardi.
December 26, 1976 - Raiders 24, Steelers 7 (1976 AFC Championship Game)
in what is widely thought to be the greatest Pittsburgh Steelers team in the history of the franchise that has never won a championship, the 1976 Steelers were snake bitten by injuries all year long. Terry Bradshaw was a big name on the list after he sustained a neck injury when he was body slammed by Joe “Turkey” Jones in Cleveland, causing the Steelers QB to miss six weeks of the ‘76 season. By the time of the 1976 AFC Championship game, Bradshaw was back, but the Steelers offense was missing two 1,000-yard rushers in the form of Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier injured a week earlier against Baltimore in the divisional game. Silver and Black defense and the not the famed “Steel Curtain” of Pittsburgh. The Oakland Raiders’ defense would hold the Steelers to just seven points, while the offense racked up 24. During the opening quarter, it seemed both teams’ defenses would dictate the tempo of this AFC Championship game.
The game was dominated by defense on the first four possessions of the game, including a partially blocked Bobby Walden punt that set up the Raiders’ offense at the Steelers’ 38-yard line for a six-play fifth drive and an Errol Mann 39-yard field goal. Those would be the only points of the quarter as the Raiders led 3-0. The defensive battle continued in the second quarter as both offenses were left impotent. The black-and-gold’s second drive of the quarter ended up in disaster for the visitors and in delight for the hometown Raiders. Bradshaw dropped back to pass at his own 19 and said pass was intercepted by inside linebacker Willie Hall and returned to the 1-yard line. Clarence Davis blasted in for the game’s first touchdown three plays later for a 10-0 Raider’s advantage. Pittsburgh’s offense got in gear and looked to get on the scoreboard. Bradshaw passes, two to Lynn Swan and another to Frank Lewis, set up a three-yard touchdown run by RB Reggie Harrison. Harrison’s score would cut the Raiders’ lead to three, but it would be the last points put up by Pittsburgh in the contest. However, the next drive saw “The Snake” quarterback his team to a 14-play, 69-yard drive that featured plenty of runs and passes. When Stabler threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Warren Bankston the first-half scoring halted with the Oakland Alameda County Stadium scoreboard showing the Oakland Raiders 17 and the Pittsburgh Steelers 7.
Punts concluded the first three possessions of the second half until the Raiders behind Pete Banaszak and Mark Van Eeghen runs combined with passes from Stabler to Cliff Branch and Bankston saw the autumn wind blowing Oakland into the end zone again with Banaszak catching a TD score. After an Errol Mann extra point was successful, the game was pretty much out of hand at 24-7. The depleted Steelers defense had no answer and fans of John Madden’s eventual Super Bowl Champs stormed the field as their Raiders upended the defending champs and, perhaps, the best Steelers’ team of the seventies, but one that wasn’t at full strength.
December 7, 1981 - Raiders 30, Steelers 27
With no byes back in the day, a Week 14 Monday Night Football matchup between the 6-7 Raiders and the 8-5 Steelers was going to be crucial for both juggernauts of the 1970s and winners of six of the previous seven Super Bowls to get into the postseason. Tom Flores home-team Raiders were playing in their final primetime game in Oakland before their controversial relocation to Los Angeles for the 1982 season. On the other sideline, Chuck Noll’s aging champions were
On the first series, the second-year man from BYU Marc Wilson went deep on Mel Blount for a 38-yard hookup with Cliff Branch to the Steelers 27, but the Steelers defense had other ideas two plays later when John Goodman knocked the ball out of the sandwich grabbers of a scrambling Wilson and into those of Jack Ham. After Lester Hayes almost made a gorgeous one-handed grab of a long Bradshaw pass headed for the hands of Swann, Craig Colquitt punted the ball away. It looked like the Raiders were on their way to scoring, but Bob Chandler’s reception into Steeler territory saw the tight end finding himself into Steel City traffic and a fumble when sandwiched by Jack Lambert and J.T. Thomas. When Dwayne Woodruff came up with the leather, the Steelers got the ball but lost Lambert to a concussion. To make things worse, the Steelers offense couldn’t convert. But they would on the next drive as Bradshaw employed the services of John Stallworth, Franco Harris and Greg Hawthorne on a 7-play and 52-yard drive that ended when TB12 threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Bennie Cunningham at the end of the first quarter. Cunningham saved a pick-six by Burgess Owens when he hauled-in a ball that was hurried when Odis McKinney was bearing down hard on Bradshaw. The Steelers led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second, the turnover brigade continued for the home team. After Thom Beasley sacked Wilson, the battle between Branch and Blount continued as No. 47 in visitor’s white picked-off the Raiders QB on a mid-range ball. It was Blount’s 52nd career interception tying the all-time Steelers record set previously by Jack Butler. With great field position, the Steelers had a chance to extend their lead, but Bradshaw was hit by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year winner Ted Hendricks after just getting the ball off on the very next play. On the follow through, Bradshaw hit his hand on the helmet of linebacker Rod Martin. The Steelers QB stayed in for one play but gave way to Malone with a broken hand. Oakland overwhelmed Malone, sacking him immediately and wasting amazing field position. A couple of series later, Wilson and the Raiders found their groove and started attacking the middle of the field with Lambert out. With 5:11 left in the half, Wilson connected with his 6’4” tight end Derrick Ramsey on a 25-yard touchdown toss over 5’11” Donnie Shell to tie the score at 7-7. Malone would rebound though and break the tie with a brilliant dart to Jim Smith for his first NFL touchdown pass of 19 yards right after the two-minute warning. The Raiders would begin a quick march into Steelers territory, but Blount cracked Arthur Whittington and Ham recovered his second fumble of the contest. Malone would kneel to run out the clock for an intermission score of 14-7.
Early in the third quarter, the home team tied the score after sacking Malone twice on the initial series on an 83-yard drive of only four plays, highlighted by a 60-yard run by Kenny King to the Steelers 21. Wilson capped it off with a 17-yard touchdown connection with Whittington. Midway through though, turnovers plagued the silver and black again as a failed exchange was pounced on by Robin Cole for the fifth turnover on the night seized by the Steelers defense. Pittsburgh would take advantage, however, and take a 20-14 lead with 1:04 left in that quarter on an 11-yard bootleg run by Malone, but David Trout’s extra-point attempt was blocked by Dave Browning as the Steelers led 20-14.
In the fourth quarter, the Raiders stopped the Steelers offense deep in their own end, And Wilson immediately took advantage with a long ball launched to Bob Chandler over a tumbling Dwayne Woodruff. Whern Chris Bahr’s extra point sailed wide-right the score was tied, 20-20, with 12:43 to go. It got even worse from there for the visitors as Ted Watts, a rookie, scored on a 53-yard punt return that the tie followed by two late Malone interceptions, the second that led to a 29-yard field goal by Bahr. The Steelers would score the game’s final touchdown with :10 seconds to play when Malone,found Jim Smith with a 17-yard scoring pass. ButOakland would prevailed 30-27 as the Steelers dropped two games behind Cincinnati and eventually out of the postseason.
January 1, 1984 - Raiders 38, Steelers 10 (1983 AFC Divisional Game)
1983 was a year that started out so promising for the Steelers at 9-2, but the team was shot out of the out of the sky by the Vikings the week before the Thanksgiving holiday and devoured by the Detroit Lions on Turkey Day in the Silverdome and the leftovers were disposed of by the time New Year's Day 1984 rolled around. With Terry Bradshaw’s elbow reinjured, the Steelers rolled out Cliff Stoudt to take on the Raiders in the historic L.A. Coliseum.
The Steelers actually scored first after a Wayne Capers reception of 44 yards and the running game consisting of Frank Pollard, Franco Harris, and Stoudt got them down to the one. Chuck Noll settled for the Gary Anderson field goal and the 3-0 lead. But after the defense forced another Ray Guy punt, disaster struck when Lester Hays took a Cliff Stoudt pass to the house and opened up the silver-and-black floodgates. Chris Bahr hit two field goals, Lyle Alzado beat Tunch Ilkin three times for sacks of Stoudt and the Raider rushing attack shredded the No. 3 defense from Steel City as Marcus Allen (twice), Kenny King, and Frank Hawkins all took Jim Plunkett handoffs for touchdowns. John Stallworth did haul-in a 58-yard reception from Stoudt for a score late in the third, but it was way too late as Tom Flores’ team were the kryptonite to the Men of Steel on their way to a Super Bowl championship. The Steelers would return to Los Angeles later in ‘84, on their way to a berth in the AFC Championship a season later.
November 08, 2015 - Steelers 38, Raiders 35
A week after falling to 4-4 and losing star running back LeVeon Bell for the season, the Steelers were hosting the second-ranked defense in the National Football League and looking to catch fire in the second half of what was an inconsistent start to the 2015 season.
The Steelers came out firing on all cylinders but failed on a fourth-down conversion on their initial series leading to the Raiders scoring in only three plays after Latavius Murray’s dart of 44 yards. and a Derek Carr touchdown throw to Michael Crabtree from the 22-yard-line. A Chris Boswell 34-yard field goal would put the Steelers on the scoreboard 7-3 late in the first and a Deangelo Williams 3-yard gallop followed by a catch for a rare first quarter two-point conversion from Ben Roethlisberger to a wide-open Williams made the score 11-7 early in the second. A shootout was in the making though with two-straight Amari Cooper catches from Derek Carr, the second being a wide-open touchdown to put the Raiders back up 14-11 with 6:05 left in the second quarter.
That was more than enough time though for the Steelers to get on the board twice before intermission thanks in part to a 41-yard collaboration between Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown that led to another 3-yard Deangelo TD. And after the Raiders followed with a three-and-out with :59 seconds left, Ben and AB connected twice to get in Boswell’s range for a 38-yarder and a 21-14 lead. No. 84 had 10 catches for 180 yard in the first half, more yards than the entire Raiders offense as a whole.
The second half looked like it was going to start out disastrous for the visitors. Oakland’s first series looked like it ended with a fumble return for a Pittsburgh touchdown as Latavius Murray had the ball jarred loose and Mike Mitchell recovered it to return it for a score. But Mitchell had stepped out of bounds when he recovered it, overturning the good fortune of the home team and giving the Raiders a chance to kick it away. But the punt was blocked, causing it to travel just 24 yards. The Raiders defense was able to hold, though and force the Steelers to punt. The possession after the punt saw the Raiders going on a 90-yard drive ending in a Clive Walford touchdown reception from the 1 to tie the game at 21-21. After that, the two teams exchanged turnovers as David Amerson picked off Ben, but Latavius Murray was hit hard by Mitchell two plays later to concuss the Oakland running back and force the turnover. But the gift was to no avail as Chris Boswell went wide right with his attempt at a 41-yard field goal.
To start the fourth, Pittsburgh poured it on a little. DeAngelo Williams 53-yards scamper would be a big factor in the Heinz Field Heroes going on a 91-yard drive that ended in a touchdown pass from Ben to 10 (Martavis Bryant) for a touchdown and a 28-21 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Roosevelt Nix would wallop Taiwan Jones who would fumble the ball to give the Steelers the ball at the Raiders 6-yard-line after a Jarvis Jones recovery. Roethlisberger put the exclamation point on it two plays later with a 4-yard scoring play to a wide-open Jesse James. 35-21, Steelers. The Raiders weren’t done though, as the offense got back within a touchdown again on a 19-yard run by Jamize Olawale for the touchdown.
On the ensuing Steelers drive, disaster would strike as the Raiders would get their first sack of the day as Aldon Smith took down Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers quarterback would leave the game with an injured foot and not return. To make matters worse, Antonio Brown set up to field a punt and muffed it to give the Raiders the ball at the Pittsburgh 39-yard-line. But they couldn’t capitalize on it. Derek Carr threw to a well-covered Clive Walford in the end zone and had the ball intercepted by the Steelers’ Ross Cockrell. With the ball back and Ben out, Landy Jones took over at quarterback, but he couldn’t lead the Steelers’ offense past their own 30-yard-line. When the Raiders got the ball back with 2:15 to go, they needed 69 yards to tie and that occurred in just two passes to Michael Crabtree for 14 yards, and then 38 yards to the end zone. The Steelers would have 1:15 to drive into Boswell’s range, but it would be a tough task without the services of “Seven’. But Jones would collaborate with Brown for 57 yards on the drive as they ran the clock down to nearly nothing. With the ball at the 1 and the clock down to :02, Boswell booted the game winning field goal from 18 yards away to secure the 38-35 win.
Records were broken in this contest as AB reset Steelers franchise records with 17 catches and another for 284 yards. Overall, the Raiders gave up a franchise record in yards 597 yards to the opposing team. That included 170 yards on 27 carries by DeAngelo Williams. The Steelers climbed to 5-4 in a season that they shot forward in a season that would see the Men of Steel losing a heartbreaker in the divisional playoffs.
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