Raiders at Steelers 2022 Week 16: Surprises on Christmas Eve

Raiders at Steelers 2022 Week 16: Surprises on Christmas Eve

Raiders’ defense played great

All season long you hear a lot about the struggles of the Raiders’ defense. When you have a year that is filled with disappointing losses and blown leads, fingers start getting pointed and a lot of times in their direction.

Patrick Graham and the Raiders’ defense do have a lot to be accountable for. all season it seems as if they couldn’t put together 4 quarters of good play, and the same went for the offense. Up until the game against the Patriots, opposing teams had a 100% success rate at scoring touchdowns in goal-to-go situations.

That only changed because two penalties on the one-yard line cause a patriots touchdown to be overturned and push them back to where they had to settle for a field goal.

Saturday Night’s game seemed to be different though. The team seemed to very much encompass the bend don’t break mentality. They ultimately kept the opposing team to 13 points, their lowest point total of the season. Granted the Steelers missed two field goals in Raider territory, but those things are part of the game and don’t discredit the big stops the Raiders defense made.

Even though the defense did everything they could to give the Raiders a win, the offense did the same to give the game away. They caused the Steelers to punt countless times and even took one away from Kenny Pickett when Denzel Perryman got an interception, before being injured on the next Pittsburgh possession.

But nonetheless, the Raiders’ offensive struggles and Derek Carr’s three interceptions were too much to overcome for what seemed like the best full 4 quarters of football this defense has played so far.

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