Pittsburgh Steelers crush Oakland Raiders in lopsided affair
The Pittsburgh Steelers bounced back from their loss last Sunday to the New England Patriots to get a win and stay tied atop the AFC North by defeating the Oakland Raiders by a score of 35-3 on Sunday 21 November.
How it happened
It was the Raiders who started the scoring, stopping the Steelers on their opening possession and driving to get their kicker Sebastian Janikowski in range to kick a 41-yard field goal. From then on, it was all Pittsburgh, who scored three touchdowns in
the second quarter to lead 21-3 going into the second half.
The Steelers managed to shut down the Raiders' run offence, holding them to just 61 yards on the day. On the flip side, the Steelers ran the ball for 162 yards to balance their offence, which proved key to their success.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger put in a strong performance, throwing three touchdowns passes and scampering for a 16-yard run for a touchdown to lead the way for Pittsburgh.
Mike Wallace, who is averaging an astonishing 23 yards per catch, continued his torrid pace catching three passes for 116 yards on the day, including a big 52-yard catch and run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Jason Campbell, who had led the Raiders to three-straight wins, was ineffective during the game and was eventually replaced by Bruce Gradkowski.
What they're saying
A strange incident occurred after Roethlisberger threw a 22-yard pass for a touchdown to Emmanuel Sanders in the second quarter. Roethlisberger was running to the end zone to celebrate with Sanders when Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour punched Roethlisberger
in the face. Seymour was ejected from the game.
"I've never seen a quarterback get punched since I've been in this league," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters after the game.
Several Raiders players are making the claim that Roethlisberger said something that set Seymour off.
"I heard that Big Ben said something," defensive lineman Tommy Kelly said about the incident. "I guess Big Rich didn't like it."
What it all means
The Steelers did well to get a win and keep pace with the Baltimore Ravens on top of the AFC North Division as they improve their record to 7-3. They now get set to travel to Buffalo next Sunday to take on the Bills who, after being the NFL's worst team
for eight-straight weeks, have now won two games in a row.
The Raiders had managed to creep into first place in the AFC West, but saw their division lead slip away as a result of the loss. They get set to host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday 28 November.
Tags: