Steelers-Raiders scouting report: A matchup of the NFL's two best pass rushers?

Brian Batko / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers insider Brian Batko breaks down each aspect of the Week 6 game at the Raiders and lists the team’s keys to victory:

When the Steelers have the ball

Raiders have allowed 14 touchdowns through five games, but two of those were defensive scores. Still, they’ve been shredded by both Bo Nix and Andy Dalton in their past two losses. Old friend Robert Spillane is having a career year as an inside linebacker and is tied for the NFL lead with 54 tackles, including 10-plus stops in every game. But he also has a sack, an interception, five tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Spillane will need to be even more active now from the second level with big-ticket free-agent defensive tackle Christian Wilkins on injured reserve after having foot surgery this week. The defensive line still has Maxx Crosby, one of the few pass rushers in the league who can rival T.J. Watt in accolades. Isaiah Pola-Mao, nephew of Troy Polamalu, was only a special teamer when the Steelers visited last year, but he’s started the past two games at safety.

When the Raiders have the ball

Aidan O’Connell, a fourth-round pick last year out of Purdue, will make his first start of the season. Gardner Minshew has been benched. O’Connell started 10 games last season as a rookie, with a win-loss record of 5-5 while tossing 12 touchdowns to 7 interceptions at just over 200 yards per game. He’s a pocket-passer who was sacked 24 times last season. Alexander Mattison leads a banged-up backfield, while the receivers aren’t a threatening group, minus Davante Adams. Veteran Jakobi Meyers is the de-facto No. 1 for the time being, while Tre Tucker and Pitt product D.J. Turner are playing more, too. First-round pick tight end Brock Bowers is making big plays as a rookie, though. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, a Steel Valley High School graduate, is in his first year with the Raiders after calling plays for Justin Fields the past two seasons in Chicago.

Key matchups

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby vs. Steelers RT Broderick Jones

Crosby moves around a bit more than T.J. Watt but primarily works on the left side of the defensive line. That could mean a long day for Jones, who has had his struggles this season. “High motor” and “high ceiling” are two terms Jones used to describe Crosby this week. “I’ve just got to control him to the best of my ability,” he said of the 6-foot-5, 255-pound Crosby, who loves to get chippy, too. Last week, the field mic caught him yelling at Broncos quarterback Bo Nix pre-snap, telling him to “speak up” when the rookie was trying to communicate with his offensive linemen.

Raiders LB Robert Spillane vs. Steelers QB Justin Fields

Spillane has two interceptions in his career against Lamar Jackson, one with his old team and one with his new team, and now faces another cat-quick quarterback who can make plays with his legs and throw on the run. Fields will need to be wary of No. 41 in the middle of the field, and Spillane told Las Vegas media this week he has a chip on his shoulder when he faces the Steelers because they let him walk in free agency.

Raiders RT Thayer Munford vs. Steelers OLB T.J. Watt

A seventh-round pick out of Ohio State two years ago, Munford has used his 6-6, 315-pound frame to become a starter. He’s missed the past two games due to knee and ankle injuries, so if he’s limited or out, rookie third-rounder Delmar Glaze will be the next man up again. How much help can they provide to guard against Watt’s impact? A triple-team doesn’t seem out of the question.

Raiders LG Jackson Powers-Johnson vs. Steelers DT Cam Heyward

The other side of the Raiders line includes a rookie second-round pick in Powers-Johnson, the former Oregon center with whom the Steelers became quite familiar in the pre-draft process. They ended up with Zach Frazier, and Powers-Johnson ended up moving positions, at least for now. After moving into the starting lineup two games ago, he’ll try to hold up against one of the league’s most powerful interior rushers in Heyward.

Raiders TE Brock Bowers vs. Steelers S DeShon Elliott

With no Davante Adams, Bowers becomes the scariest mismatch in the passing game. He showed why last week, grabbing a jump ball over the top of a Broncos safety, then beating everyone to the end zone for a 57-yard touchdown, his first in the NFL. Bowers finished that game with eight catches for 97 yards, so the Steelers need to plan for him. Elliott spent much of camp matching up Pat Freiermuth and has plenty of experience covering tight ends 1-on-1.

To win, the Steelers must …

Cancel Maxx. Crosby is a game-wrecker against the run and the pass, so it will be imperative to give Mason McCormick and Broderick Jones some help on the right side of the line.

Get prime T.J. Watt messes up his share of plays for the offense, too, and with a cast of inexperienced practice squad types at the other edge rusher spot, he’ll need to make the most of his opportunities even more than usual.

Make them sling it. Aidan O’Connell and the in-flux quarterback situation can be minimized if he’s backed by a strong run game that puts him in advantageous situations, but getting him off-schedule should be a recipe for success.

Brian Batko’s prediction: Steelers 26, Raiders 13. Their largest margin of victory since Week 16 last season and most lopsided road win since November 2020 because Vegas is like a 16 against an ace this season.