Raiders Block FG To Finish Dramatic Upset Of Steelers, 24-21
OAKLAND (CBS SF/AP) -- The Oakland Raiders won a tight contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday after Chris Boswell slipped on a game-tying field goal try, leading to the Raiders blocking it and sealing the win, with the final score reading 24-21.
Less than 30 seconds before that, Raiders QB Derek Carr threw a 6-yard TD pass to Derek Carrier to gain the lead.
Ben Roethlisberger returned from a rib injury to lead a go-ahead touchdown drive that Carr answered for the Raiders (3-10). Big Ben then connected on a 48-yard hook-and-lateral pass play that put Boswell in position for the tying kick. But he lost his footing and sent the kick into the line, sending the Steelers (7-5-1) to their third straight loss.
Carr threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes for the Raiders, leading his 16th career fourth-quarter comeback. He threw for 322 yards, including a 3-yard TD that put Oakland up 17-14 with 5:20 to play.
Roethlisberger then returned after missing the first four drives of the second half and drove the Steelers to the go-ahead score on a 1-yard pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster before once again ending up on the losing end in a trip to Oakland. He is 0-4 at the Coliseum and the Raiders remain the only AFC opponent he has never beaten on the road.
It was the Raiders fans who cheered at the end after Boswell's missed kick that came after the Steelers got in position thanks to the short pass to James Washington, who lateraled to Smith-Schuster, who raced 43 yards to the 22.
GROUNDED
Pittsburgh got little from its running game with James Conner sidelined by an ankle injury. They gained 40 yards on 19 carries with Stevan Ridley scoring on a 1-yard run in the second quarter.
FUMBLE OR NOT
The Raiders found themselves on the wrong end of replay reviews during an odd sequence late in the third quarter. With Oakland at the Pittsburgh 22, Carr lost the ball just before trying to throw it for a fumble that was recovered by Pittsburgh upheld on replay.
Just a few plays later, Dobbs was hit by Arden Key as he tried to throw and the ball came loose. Oakland recovered that, but officials ruled it an incomplete pass and the call stood after a challenge by the Raiders. It turned out not to matter much when Tahir Whitehead intercepted Dobbs on the next play.
PRESSURE POINT
The Raiders got a rare sack in the second quarter when Clinton McDonald brought down Roethlisberger on a third down. That was the league-low 11th sack of the season for Oakland. The play proved pivotal when Boswell missed a 39-yard field goal on the following play for his first miss inside of 40 yards this season.
FAST START
The Raiders again got off to a fast start on offense with a 1-yard TD run by Doug Martin on the opening drive. That gave Oakland 41 points on the first drive this season, fourth best in the league.
HOLDING ON
The Raiders committed three facemask penalties in a span of 13 plays in the second quarter. Before the infractions from Tahir Whitehead, Johnathan Hankins and Erik Harris, Oakland hadn't been penalized for a facemask all season.
The Raiders will next face the Cincinnati Bengals.
GM Reggie McKenzie congratulating the players after the big #Raiders win over the #Steelers. pic.twitter.com/XSiTtlrhMB
— Andrea Nakano (@AndreaKPIX) December 10, 2018
© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.