Raiders: Henry Ruggs III with crucial touchdown catch vs. Steelers (video)
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders held a two-point lead in the fourth quarter when Henry Ruggs III let his speed take over the game.
Heading into Pittsburgh, nobody gave the Las Vegas Raiders much of a chance to move their record to 2-0 on the young season. In fact, playing on a short week, it would be easy to write the Raiders off, especially after they came from behind to win as the underdog in Week 1.
However, this is a brand new Las Vegas team out in the desert, one that finally has a defense, as well as a quarterback who is making taking shots downfield look easy in 2021. In control for the entire game, the Silver and Black saw the Steelers creep back into the game thanks to a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Najee Harris, moving the score to 16-14 Las Vegas.
From there, Las Vegas would need to try and crack this Steelers defense for a second time, as they had found the end zone only once all game long. The second touchdown could prove to be the clincher, as Derek Carr got the protection he needed, and fired a long strike to his second-year wideout, Henry Ruggs III.
That pitch and catch was good for 61 yards, and gave the Raiders a nine-point lead with under ten minutes to go. You can see the play here:
https://twitter.com/Raiders/status/1439676087600959490
Raiders looking to finish off the Steelers inside Heinz Field
With under ten minutes to go, the Raiders will need to find a way to now keep the Steelers out of the end zone, as Big Ben looked very comfortable on the last drive for Pittsburgh. The Raiders defense has been in his face all game long, led by Maxx Crosby, who was a monster against Baltimore on Monday night in Week 1.
A win against the Steelers would not only move the Raiders to 2-0 on the season, but would prove that Week 1 was no fluke. This is a team that can finally play defense, and one that has a bunch of weapons on offense, making them a dangerous team in a loaded AFC.