Another Las Vegas Implosion: Raiders Self-Destruct In Miscue-Filled Second Half To Pittsburgh, Lose, 32-13, Sunday
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Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — It is one of the great economic mysteries in sports. How does an NFL franchise valued at $6.7 billion produce results on the field that are so miserable.
Consider the Las Vegas Raiders self-destructing in the second half of its game against old rival Pittsburgh and losing, 32-13, Sunday. Paid attendance was 62,553, though that’s not the actual number of people in the stands.
The error-filled loss means the Raiders have won only two of its six games under permanent coach Antonio Pierce in 2024 after the team played spirited football to win five of nine games under interim coach Pierce to end the 2023 on a high note.
Pierce described the team’s two fumbles, an interception and a blocked punt as “embarrassing.”
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell referred to “some self-inflicted stuff” and “frustrating, self-inflicted wounds” as the factors behind the sorry performance.
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They walked over the Hacienda Avenue Bridge, strolled through the Allegiant Stadium concourses and filled thousands of seats at the Raiders’ home stadium.
If the Raiders wanted to make some revenue today, they might as well sell Pittsburgh Steelers logo gear because Steel City poured into the Raiders home stadium just like Steelers fans did just more than a year ago Sept. 24, 2023 when Las Vegas hosted Pittsburgh.
Assuming Steelers fans stayed in Southern Nevada hotels, the visiting team’s boosters are paying a hotel room tax that is helping pay off the public debt here in metro Las Vegas on the $750 million public subsidy earmarked to help finance the construction of the domed stadium that is run by the Raiders. In effect, the hotel room tax functions as an unofficial user fee when out-of-town stadium attendees stay in local lodging and pay the 88 cents per $100 spent on the hotel room that is goes toward paying off the stadium bonds’ debt.
The Raiders, with their losing ways, have become a tourist attraction — a similarity you will see when the Athletics start play in a planned new stadium on the Strip in 2028.
The owners and management of the Raiders and A’s were never close at the Coliseum, but the one thing that ties the two former Oakland franchises is that their Las Vegas are/will be a bastion for visiting team fans.
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The Steelers scored first on a 52-yarder by placekicker Chris Boswell.
But the Raiders responded with an exquisite 10-play, 70-yard drive that featured quarterback Aidan O’Connell going four for four on short, accurate passes and Alexander “The Touchdown Maker” Mattison busting into pay dirt from three yards out.
The Raiders led, 7-3, after one quarter.
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Fans make this rivalry Steelers vs Raiders were the NFL rivalry of the 1970s 50 years ago.
The Raiders are honoring their fans by putting them on the cover of their game programs.
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After Boswell booted a 49-yard FG, Raiders running back Dylan Laube coughed up the ball and Pittsburgh recovered the fumble.
Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo made a terrific interception. But the pick was negated by a Raiders roughing the passer penalty on lineman Matthew Butler and Pittsburgh quarterback Justin Fields scampered in from the three yard line with only 1:58 left in the first half.
A two-point conversion attempt by the Steelers failed and an uninspiring first half of play ended with the Steelers leading the Raiders, 12-7.
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The Raiders played losing football in the second half.
Punter AJ Cole had his punt blocked and Boswell cashed in for three points with a 37-yarder.
Then, Steelers running back Najee Harris ran for a 36-yard TD score to cap a drive that was aided by a Raiders roughing the quarterback penalty.
Pittsburgh enjoyed a 22-7 lead.
An O’Connell TD pass was nullified by an illegal player downfield penalty and then Raiders runner Ameer Abdullah fumbled near the goal line and the Steelers recovered.
The 22-7 lead was preserved for the Steelers.
If there was a sequence that represented the sad state of the Raiders it came with 8:21 left to go in the fourth quarter and O’Connell and the Raiders offense was backed up near their own goal line. The Steelers crowd was screaming, “De-fense, de-fense, de-fense” and then Pittsburgh cornerback Donte Jackson intercepted an O’Connell pass that headed toward Brock Bowers.
Pittsburgh’s Fields ran the ball in for an east score and the Steelers were dominating, 29-7.
Final score after a Raiders garbage time TD: Steelers 32 Raiders 13
