3 keys for Steelers defense vs. Raiders on Sunday Night Football

If it weren't for the talents of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, this team would be staring down the early portion of the season at 0-2 with very little hope for success. Even with Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt making a significant impact in the Week 2 win over the Cleveland Browns, there's still plenty of room for improvement on the defensive side of the football.

For the third straight week, the Steelers face one of the league's best running backs, an elite wide receiver, and an efficient, if not spectacular, quarterback. For the first time, they'll do it on the road as they travel to Allegiant Stadium to take on the Las Vegas Raiders.

Despite the talent, the Raiders offense is struggling to adapt under new head coach Josh McDaniels. Led by Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, the Raiders are ranked just 30th in points in the league, 30th in total yards, and 30th in rushing. There's a real chance that the Steelers defense will be able to win this one for Pittsburgh for the second straight week.

The running game is particularly interesting. Josh Jacobs is incredibly talented and dangerous. But, he would have had more rushing yards against Buffalo had he continued his holdout and missed the game altogether. The Steelers' interior defensive line and linebackers would be wise not to overlook him, nonetheless.

On the injury front, the Raiders are healthy after missing Jakobi Meyers in Week 2. The Steelers will of course still be without Cam Heyward while Minkah Fitzpatrick will be ready to go to lead the secondary.

With the preliminaries out of the way, these are the three keys for the Steelers' defense against the Las Vegas Raiders.