Are the Steelers able to stop the Raiders stars?
This is something that can be argued just about every week, but the Raiders offense is highlighted by two stars. They have one of the better backs in the league in Josh Jacobs and arguably the best receiver in Davante Adams. The Steelers haven’t been able to stop the run this year, and their secondary has been suspect.
Despite knowing that Cleveland’s offense would feature Nick Chubb, this defense had no answers for him. Even after his gruesome injury, Pittsburgh still couldn’t stop the run, allowing some big runs to back up Jerome Ford. This run defense has been the worst in the league through two weeks.
Jacobs hasn’t had a great start to the season but he still poses a threat to a defense that has had no answers so far. The Raiders offense has been a very average unit, and the Steelers need to be able to bottle up Jacobs so the focus is on the passing game.
Even then, Adams is still able to do a lot of damage as a receiver. He runs some of the best routes in the league and is a threat to take any pass to the house. The Steelers' cornerbacks have been lackluster this season, and I’m not confident that there is a player who can match up with Adams on this defense right now.
If the defense keeps these two limited, this game should be an easy win. The Raiders aren’t scoring points in droves, but when they get Jacobs and Adams working for them, they can cruise. Pittsburgh can’t allow that to happen.