What happened in Oakland on Sunday was beyond comprehension. It wasn't just that the Oakland Raiders defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-13. It was how they did it.
Ninety-eight yards of total offense - that's what the Raiders amassed against the Steelers. With only nine first downs and zero offensive touchdowns, the Raiders still found a way to come up with a win off of two defensive interceptions that were turned into TDs, including a 100-yard return to the end zone by CB Chris Carr in the fourth quarter. Raiders QB Andrew Walter was abysmal, going 5-for-14 for 51 yards and throwing one interception.
Thankfully for the Raiders, the Steelers were much, much worse. Although both teams sent out relatively strong defenses, the Raiders were able to capitalize on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's many mistakes. Still banged up from the concussion he sustained last week against Atlanta, Roethlisberger threw four interceptions on the day, with two returned for touchdowns. Big Ben wasn't a complete disaster, though, going 25-for-37 for 301 yards, but he came up short with his team in scoring position.
Stuck on the one-yard line with about three minutes left, the Steelers were down 20-13 with a chance to tie the game, but a Raiders defensive stop on the goal line and a false start penalty pushed the ball back to the 10, and a last ditch fourth-down pass broken up in the end zone spelled the end for the Steelers.
The slightly less pathetic Raiders improved to 2-5 with the win, while the Steelers joined them with the same record, putting them in last place in the AFC North and jeopardizing any chances of a postseason appearance, let alone a return to the Super Bowl.
A team that does look like it will be making its way to Miami in February is the New England Patriots, who stomped on the Minnesota Vikings Monday night, 31-7. This match-up looked to be a potential challenge for the Pats against a strong defense, and the Vikings defense was able to shut down the Patriots' running game. Unfortunately, they couldn't stop quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady, virtually unstoppable in a dome setting, went 29-for-43 with 372 yards and four touchdowns in his best performance yet this season. Brady is now 10-0 lifetime in domes, averaging 272.1 yards per game. The Pats' defense chipped in as well, with four interceptions on the day, including Rodney Harrison's goal line interception near the end of the first quarter. And Laurence Maroney sealed his return home with a 74-yard kickoff return.
Vikings' quarterback Brad Johnson looked confused all night against the Pats' defense, throwing three interceptions, including a costly drive-ending pick that would have tied the game at seven. Johnson went 20-for-33 with 185 yards before being benched in the fourth-quarter. Back-up Brooks Bollinger didn't fare much better under center, completing 6 of 9 passes and throwing one interception.
The Patriots will face their biggest challenge of the season when the Indianapolis Colts come to Gillette next week. The Colts finished Sunday with a down-to-the-wire victory over the Denver Broncos, 34-31, thanks to Mr. Reliable, former Patriots' kicker, Adam Vinatieri.
With a Broncos defensive strategy specifically designed to stop him, Peyton Manning meticulously drove down the field, scoring on seven of the Colts' eight final drives. Manning finished the day 32-for-39 with 345 yards and three TDs, all to wideout Reggie Wayne.
With the game tied, Vinatieri kicked the game-winner through the uprights with two seconds left to play following a march up the field by Manning, including 14- and nine-yard catches by Wayne. The field goal propelled the Colts to a perfect 7-0 record. This is the second consecutive season the Colts are 7-0, making them the first team to accomplish the feat since the Green Bay Packers did so three times in a row from 1929 to 1931.
