Raiders vs. Steelers: 4 things we learned in 2021 Week 2

The Las Vegas Raiders held off the Pittsburgh Steelers for a big road win in Week 2 and here are four things we learned from the matchup.

The Las Vegas Raiders came up big in their first road game of the season as they took down another AFC North squad to go 2-0. They came through with a complete performance on both sides of the ball and here are 4 things we learned from this big victory.

Raiders vs. Steelers: 4 things we learned in 2021 Week 2

This Raiders defense is legitimate

A week after slowing down Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, the Las Vegas Raiders faced another AFC North quarterback who is just as difficult to sack, but for different reasons. Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers were coming off a come-from-behind win against the Buffalo Bills and we are favored by 6.5 points.

The Steelers offense is not the most high-flying unit but they have plenty of talent across the board including a future Hall of Famer at quarterback.

This was a different test compared to the Ravens because of the nature of the Pittsburgh offense but the Raiders’ defense took on the challenge and excelled. Last season, you couldn’t trust this defense to get a stop in any situation, but for the second week in a row, we saw them come up big when it mattered most.

With the Steelers chasing the game down two scores the Raiders first forced them to punt and then forced them into a long field goal to maintain a touchdown advantage.

The defensive line was in Roethlisberger‘s face all day long and forced him into an interception and several inaccurate throws. The defensive backs and linebackers made plays all over the field including an interception and a few key past breakups. There is still some room for improvement when it comes to tackling but they’re still light years ahead of last season.

This unit can be a strength of the team if this keeps up and it will be interesting to see them against some lesser talented QBs in the future.