Steelers vs. Raiders: what went right/wrong?

The Steelers escaped with a last minute win against the Oakland Raiders at Heinz Field this week. Here is a look at what went right and what went wrong.

First, what went wrong?

It seemed like any time that the Steelers had an opportunity to capture momentum they missed it. Several dropped passes by different Steelers’ receivers seemed to stifle the offense on multiple occasions.

With Ben and the receivers a bit off last week, and several key drops and overthrows this week, it seems that the chemistry has been hindered so far in 2015.

It is difficult to win games when players are dropping passes or a quarterback is missing passes. A bit of both have been going on in the past two weeks.

The Steelers came out with the win, but the defense allowed a whopping 35 points at home. Derek Carr torched the Steelers’ secondary to the tune of four passing touchdowns.

The defense came up big with a few turnovers in key moments, but the overall performance needs to be better. The inconsistency is not just evident in this performance, but from week to week. Some weeks, the Steelers let loose a stifling defensive front, and others they can’t stop a thing.

This is the biggest thing that went wrong. For the second time this year, Steelers fans winced as they watched their franchise quarterback go down to the turf grabbing his injured leg.

A mid foot sprain will keep Ben Roethlisberger out for a few weeks, and the Steelers offense looks decimated. Already missing Maurkice Pouncey, Kelvin Beachum, and Le’Veon Bell, the Steelers will have to dig deep on offense to play above the line.

All that said, the Steelers won the game against the Raiders, so there was some good.

Playing in relief of Bell, DeAngelo Williams had a monster day. He rushed for two touchdowns and racked up an impressive yardage total. He was also a weapon as a receiver.

This is the kind of performance that the Steelers will need from Williams the rest of the year. Without Bell, the worry is that the Steelers will be too one-dimensional on offense. If Williams plays like he did on Sunday, that won’t be an issue.

If DeAngelo Williams had a great day, Antonio Brown had a legendary day. Setting new Steeler records for receptions and yardage, Brown made the Raiders’ secondary wish they had stayed in the locker room.

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Brown showcased his talents on a long catch and run in the fourth quarter after Landry Jones had replaced Ben at quarterback. The play put the Steelers in field goal range and iced the game late.

Brown truly is a special player, and on Sunday he showed what he can do to weaker secondaries. Brown and Williams will be a big part of the recipe to win without Ben.