LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Raiders host the Steelers on Sunday at a pivotal moment for both clubs.
Las Vegas has a 2-3 record, a new starting quarterback in Aidan O'Connell, a star wide receiver in Davante Adams who may get traded, a slew of injuries and a challenging stretch of games.
Following Pittsburgh, the Raiders face the Rams, Chiefs and Bengals with two of those games on the road.
“They’re all big, but this is definitely ... big time,” Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said. “We just want to get all the bad taste out. We want to get back on the winning track, get above .500.”
The Raiders will soon know if their playoff hopes remain alive or this season becomes about the future and maybe landing a franchise quarterback next year.
The Steelers have their own issues.
They got their enormous fan base excited by starting 3-0 while their AFC North rivals struggled. But as the Ravens began to re-assert themselves as perhaps the class of the division, the Steelers dropped two in a row. They fell behind 17-0 at Indianapolis before attempting to mount a comeback and then gave up the winning touchdown with 20 seconds left against the Cowboys.
Those losses reignited talk of a quarterback controversy. Justin Fields will start against the Raiders, but another subpar offensive showing could usher Russell Wilson into the lineup.
And then there's the potential distraction regarding George Pickens, the talented but often disruptive receiver who has seen his playing time drop. He wore eye black in the Dallas game that read “open (expletive) always.”
The Steelers likely need to rack up victories now, given the back half of their schedule is among the NFL's most difficult.
“There's so much football out there to play,” Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson said. "Whether you win or lose, you just want to get back in the building. The only thing that really changes is the attitude about it. You come off a loss, you're a little more salty.
“But everything is still the same in terms of preparing for the next opponent.”
The Steelers and their 23rd-ranked offense have struggled to generate big plays down the field. Pittsburgh's longest play last week against Dallas was a 21-yard pass from Fields to Pickens.
Tomlin would love to see Pittsburgh become more aggressive in the passing game, but to do that the Steelers need the 23-year-old Pickens to be engaged. That was an issue against Dallas, when he openly pouted on the sideline while playing a career-low 34 snaps on a night he finished with three catches for 26 yards and saw less playing time than Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III, who are behind Pickens on the depth chart.
“It's not out of a bad place,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said. “He obviously wants to help us win as much as he can and he's a great talent. We have to understand that and be there for him but at the end of the day he has to understand this is a team sport, and he does.”
The Raiders lost another key defensive player when tackle Christian Wilkins — the club's splashy offseason signing — was placed on injured reserve with a broken foot.
Wilkins was beginning to find his form, and he had five tackles and a sack before going out Sunday against the Broncos.
Adam Butler steps in for Wilkins. Butler started four other games this season when the Raiders opened with a three-man line, but now there will be more asked of him.
“I think I perform best when my back's against the wall,” Butler said. “I think all of our backs are against the wall. This will be a good test for the team and the kind of effort that we put in going forward.”
T.J. Watt remains as dangerous as ever. The perennial All-Pro has 4 1/2 sacks through five games. The issue is the players designated to start at the other outside linebacker spot keep getting hurt.
Alex Highsmith went down in Week 3 with a groin injury. Nick Herbig and DeMarvin Leal will join Highsmith on the sideline at Las Vegas after both exited the Dallas game with injuries, leaving Jeremiah Moon as the last man standing.
Moon hasn't exactly been a beacon of health himself. He spent the first month of the season on injured reserve with an ankle injury before being activated last Saturday. Now the 26-year-old is set to start opposite one of the most dominant defensive players in the league.
“I can set the edge, I can rush the passer,” said Moon, claimed off waivers from Baltimore in February. “So, you know, all it is is knowing what you’re supposed to do, having the confidence to do it, and then executing.”
Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was in the same position the previous two seasons with Chicago when Fields was the quarterback.
The two never clicked the way management hoped, and the Bears wound up firing Getsy and trading Fields to the Steelers.
And now they will be on opposite ends, each aware of the other's tendencies.
“He's going to bring it every single play,” Getsy said of Fields. “He doesn't have any back-down. There are no excuses with that guy. That guy goes and balls. So it will be great to see him, and I know that our defense will have a big challenge going up against him.”
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AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
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