The Pittsburgh Steelers went to Las Vegas and won the jackpot with a 23-18 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The offense seemed to show a little more confidence and played a little better at times and the defense looked impressive. Here are our studs and duds from this week’s huge win.
Stud - EDGE T.J. Watt
Too obvious? Maybe but who cares? Watt racked up two more sacks on Sunday to give him six on the season. He’s not only the leading candidate for DPOY but could be an MVP contender as well.
Dud - TE Connor Heyward
This one isn’t all Heyward’s fault but we have to think if Heyward was inspiring more confidence from the coaches, we might actually see him involved in the offense.
Stud - P Pressley Harvin III
When the team needed the leg, young Pressley came through. Sunday night marked two exceptional games in a row and his final punt to pin the Raiders down in the final moments is a highlight play.
Dud - OT Dan Moore Jr.
The entire offensive line was up and down but Moore was the player who popped off the screen the most in all the wrong ways on Sunday night.
Stud - WR Calvin Austin III
We love seeing Calvin Austin III back and healthy. His speed was vital on Sunday and his 72-yard touchdown reception was the longest of the year.
Dud - RB Najee Harris
Harris finished with 65 yards on 19 carries and looked more like the back that struggled from the first half of last season than the one who finished it so strong.
Stud - K Chris Boswell
Once again, the most consistent scoring threat on the Steelers was Chris Boswell. He hit all three of his field-goal tries including a 57-yard bomb and also knocked in two extra points.
Dud - EDGE Alex Higsmith
Maybe we have set the bar too high but we don’t expect to see Alex Highsmith void in the boxscore aside from two quarterback hits.
Stud - S Minkah Fitzpatrick
No matter what the Steelers ask of Minkah Fitzpatrick, he delivers. On Sunday, Fitzpatrick led the team in tackles and stayed up around the line of scrimmage against a Raiders team content to run the football.
Dud - The officials
We aren’t big into conspiracy theories but there was some ugly officiating on Sunday night that didn’t work in the Steelers favor. The big two were the no-call on the illegal hit on quarterback Kenny Pickett and then followed up with a flag on safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for a clean hit.
Stud - LB Cole Holcomb
We still aren’t sold on any of the Steelers inside linebackers and a case could be made for Kwon Alexander here as well but we liked what we saw from Cole Holcomb this week.
Dud - DT DeMarvin Leal
Not only did Leal not have a great game on defense, but his personal foul late in the game for leverage on a Raiders field-goal try gave the Raiders new life late in the game.
Stud - CB Levi Wallace
After a slow start, Wallace had himself a huge redemption game that included two interceptions. Wallace’s find INT sealed the win for the Steelers.
