Oakland Raiders recover late to get thrilling 34-31 victory against Pittsburgh Steelers – NFL Recap
Oakland Raiders made a remarkable comeback by scoring 13 points in the final quarter to beat Pittsburgh Steelers 34-31 in Week 3 game on Sunday, September 23, 2012, at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California.
It was Dennis Allen’s first-ever victory as Raiders’ head coach. He was ecstatic with his team’s performance. According to the Associated Press, Allen said:
"You put a lot of hard work, blood sweat and tears into trying to build a championship team, and one of your guys goes down, especially in a situation like that, it's hard to keep your focus, but I thought our guys did an outstanding job in getting their
focus back, coming back and executing, and winning a game in the fourth quarter."
The game saw a dramatic turnaround in the final quarter when Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey got unconscious after getting a hard hit in the end zone by Steelers safety Ryan Mundy.
However, the replacement officials did not call it a penalty. After that, quarterback Carson Palmer scored a touchdown while kicker Sebastian Janikowski got two field goals as Raiders went on to score final 13 points to take the score from 31-21 to 34-31.
Steelers defence struggled in absence of their two Pro Bowlers safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Harrison.
Palmer looked superb as he scored three touchdowns in the game. He completed 24 out of 34 passes and covered 209 passing yards.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looked phenomenal throughout the game and played a pivotal role in his team’s dominance in the first three quarters. He finished 36 for 49 for 384 yards.
Raiders had a sluggish start to the game as Palmer got intercepted in the first play of the game by Steelers safety Ryan Clark.
Steelers then went on to score as Roethlisberger threw a four-yard pass to tight end Heath Miller for a touchdown.
Then came a 64-yard run by Raiders running back Darren McFadden who looked promising in this game after struggling in the first two weeks of the season.
Roethlisberger again connected with Miller, this time with a three-yard pass, as Steelers finished the first quarter 14-7.
Both teams looked ordinary in the second half, up until the final two minutes when Palmer gave a three-yard pass to Heyward-Bey to level the score.
Steelers regained their lead in the final minute of the first half with a 33-yard field goal by kicker Shaun Suisham.
Roethlisberger strengthened Steelers lead as he threw a 22-yard pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace to score another touchdown.
After that, Palmer got a touchdown with a one-yard throw to tight end Richard Gordon.
Steelers were up to the task again as Roethlisberger scored his fourth touchdown of the game with an 11-yard pass to wide receiver Antonio Brown. The third quarter ended with 31-21.
The final quarter was dominated by Raiders as Palmer scored a touchdown and then two field goals wrapped up the game 34-31.
Tags: