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Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 most dangerous Raiders heading into Week 14

By Chris Halicke

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Derek Carr #4 and tight end Jared Cook #87 of the Oakland Raiders celebrate after a touchdown in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Derek Carr #4 and tight end Jared Cook #87 of the Oakland Raiders celebrate after a touchdown in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 02: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 2, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 02: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 2, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

The struggling Pittsburgh Steelers try to right the ship this week in Oakland. A win in the Oakland Coliseum would mark their first win there since 1995.

The 2-10 Oakland Raiders are one of the worst, if not the worst team in the NFL right now. There’s no denying it, and their inevitable move to Las Vegas just makes the split between the Raiders and Oakland all the more ugly.

So, this would be the perfect opportunity for the Steelers to get back on track, right? After all, games with the Patriots, Saints, and Bengals await the Steelers after they leave Oakland Sunday night. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, and after dropping two straight, this had better be a win, and a convincing one at that.

The Steelers have not had their best games in Oakland, however. As mentioned before, they haven’t won a game there in 23 years. If there were ever a time to break that streak, and get a much-needed win, the time is now.

The Raiders may be bad, but with the Steelers playing some of their worst football right now, this is no easy notch in the win column. Here are three reasons why.

Derek Carr

Derek Carr was once considered to be an MVP candidate. That seems like another lifetime ago, or at least in some alternate reality.

The truth is this guy gets a lot of hate now, but he’s a pretty efficient quarterback. He’s completing almost 70% of his passes this season and has only thrown eight interceptions. All of this without a legitimate running game, good offensive line, and having his number one receiver traded away to the Cowboys.

Carr is also coming off a very impressive game against the Kansas City Cheifs, the AFC’s current number one seed. He threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns and nearly pulled off the upset. This shows the Raiders, and Carr, are not afraid of the better teams in the league, especially when they have to go to their house.

If the Steelers’ pass rush struggles again, Carr is more than capable of picking apart the Steelers’ secondary. After all, they have a target the could cause some matchup issues.

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