Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers: Offensive Grades in Week 2

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Sep 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Kenyan Drake (23) runs with the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Las Vegas won 26-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Raiders at Steelers: Offensive Grades in 2021 Week 2

Running Backs

The running game really struggled to get going for literally the entire game, until the moments it mattered the most, during the final drive when the Raiders were trying to put the game away. The Raiders were without Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs, so they relied on Kenyan Drake and Peyton Barber to handle the workload in this one.

That combination wasn’t very successful, mostly because the Pittsburgh Steelers have a pretty dominant front seven with or without TJ Watt, and with the Raiders’ new look and injured offensive line still being a work in progress, it’s understandable if they struggle a bit against really good run defenses.

Barber led the way for the running backs, finishing with 13 carries for 32 yards, and Drake had seven carries for just nine yards. Drake did work in the passing game, collecting five catches for 46 yards.

With Jacobs still questionable to play in Week 3 at home against the Miami Dolphins, both the offensive line and running back group will have to step it up if he is ultimately ruled out once again.

Grade: D

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