Pittsburgh Steelers 23-18 Las Vegas Raiders: Kenny Pickett passes for two touchdowns to lead team to win
Kenny Pickett played for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they held off a late comeback from the Las Vegas Raiders; the Steelers led 23-7, but the home team came back to within five points of their opponents; watch the 2023 nfl season on sky sports nfl
Last updated: 09/25/23 7:59 am
Kenny Pickett passed for 235 yards and two touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers held off the Las Vegas Raiders for a 23-18 victory on Sunday night.
In the first meeting between the franchises in Las Vegas, the Steelers earned their first road victory against the Raiders since 1995.
Las Vegas trailed 23-7 entering the fourth quarter. It had another chance to tie the game in the closing minutes, but coach Josh McDaniels settled for a short field goal instead of trying to convert a fourth-and-4 at the 8.
Pittsburgh (2-1) struggled offensively in the first two games, but things looked much better against Las Vegas (1-2). Pickett completed 16 of 28 passes, and George Pickens finished with four receptions for 75 yards.
TJ Watt had another sensational game, recording two of Pittsburgh’s four sacks, less than a week after returning a fumble for the game-winning touchdown against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night. The Raiders were the only team not to allow a sack through the first two weeks.
Chris Boswell made three field goals for the Steelers, including one from 57 yards. His longest is a 59-yarder against the Dallas Cowboys three years ago.
Las Vegas was hurt by three more interceptions for Jimmy Garoppolo, bringing his total to an NFL-high six this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett silenced his critics with a stellar performance against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday
Garoppolo was 28 for 44 for 324 yards and two touchdowns, both to Davante Adams, another impressive performance for the receiver. Adams finished with 13 receptions for 172 yards.
The NFL’s reigning champion Josh Jacobs once again had nowhere to go. He finished with 62 yards on 17 carries for the Raiders, giving him just 106 yards in three games.
Not that the Steelers’ rushing attack was much better, but Najee Harris did gain 65 yards on 19 rushes. He came into the game with just 53 yards.
Both teams came out with long touchdown passes. Garoppolo converted a fourth-and-1 with a 3.2-yard pass to Adams, and Pickett launched a 72-yarder to Calvin Austin.
The Steelers seized control late in the third quarter. Trailing 16-7, the Raiders drove to the Pittsburgh 48-yard line. Garoppolo dropped back and had plenty of time, but couldn’t find an open receiver. He threw a pass into double coverage that was intercepted by Patrick Peterson.
The Steelers then drove 81 yards on six plays, with Pickett completing a 13-yard pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 23-7 lead with 3:56 left.
But Las Vegas closed at 23-15 with 5:41 to go. Garoppolo completed a 1-yard TD pass to Adams and then found Michael Mayer for the 2-point conversion.
Daniel Carlson made a 26-yard field goal with 2:22 left to make it 23-18, giving him more than 600 career points.
Next up for the Steelers are the Houston Texans on Sunday, while the Raiders travel to AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers.