Pittsburgh Steelers scouting report on the Oakland Raiders

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to host the Oakland Raiders in Week 9 at Heinz Field. The black and gold versus the silver and black will have many re-living the glory years of this rivalry. Nonetheless, the dynamic in this matchup has changed a lot since those blood baths of the 1970s.

With the help of our friends at Pro Football Focus, below is a scouting report on Pittsburgh's next opponent. Get a glimpse at what the Steelers might be thinking, both offensively and defensively, heading into this game.

At +15.7, Gabe Jackson is our fourth-highest graded guard. He's allowed only two hits and four hurries on 288 pass blocking snaps.

The weak spot on an otherwise strong line is J'Marcus Webb. He's surrendered 16 total pressures (most on the team) and he is their only starting offensive lineman with a negative pass blocking grade (-7.6).

Latavius Murray has forced 19 missed tackles, nearly one on every six runs. 278 of his 534 rushing yards have come after contact.

In the intermediate (10-19 yard) range, Derek Carr has completed 30 of 55 for 569 yards and five touchdowns against no interceptions, for a QB rating of 120.9.

Carr has a QB rating of 131.8 against the blitz, throwing for seven touchdown versus just one interception.

Khalil Mack leads all 3-4 OLB's with his +33.3 grade and +15.4 run defense grade. His 13.4 Run Stop Percentage is the best at his position, and there's a wider gap between Mack and second place than between second and 14th.

Charles Woodson's +8.7 coverage grade leads all safeties this year. He's allowed eight catches, or a reception once per every 39 snaps in coverage.

Aldon Smith has 24 pressures from the defensive right, seventh-most among edge rushers. He is second on the team with 28 total quarterback disruptions.

Curtis Lofton (-10.5) has graded negatively in run defense, in coverage, and as a pass rusher. He's missed nine tackles, which comes out to a miss every 5.1 tackle attempts.

This Week 9 game will be anything but a walk in the park for the home team, and despite the Steelers being favored this game could be closer than many are expecting.