The Sunday Night Football broadcast crew repeatedly compared the matchup between the Raiders and Steelers to the throwback style of smash-mouth 1970s football in an attempt to draw enthusiasm for the slow football that took place. In reality, outside of watching two of the best pass rushers in the league, T.J. Watt and Maxx Crosby, make life difficult for the opposing quarterback, there wasn’t much excitement in Las Vegas—especially not on a Sunday that saw the Dolphins light up the scoreboard for 70 points against the Broncos.
Not even the Raiders’ comeback attempt midway through the final quarter could turn this Week 3 matchup from a slogfest to a slugfest. There’s nothing wrong with appreciating football from the ’70s, but if you want real physicality, wait until the 49ers play the Cowboys in two weeks or the Eagles in December.
And, yes, the Cowboys surprisingly fell to the Cardinals earlier Sunday, but they’ll likely be in the mix as contenders because they have a well-balanced team with all three phases in mind. More importantly, they know how to score in a hurry on most Sundays.
