Steelers pull away from mistake-prone Raiders for much-needed road victory

LAS VEGAS — On their trip to the gambling mecca of the world, the Pittsburgh Steelers had the mojo of a card player who consistently draws 21 at the blackjack table.

Good fortune was in as much supply Sunday in a 32-13 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders as was a defense that forced three turnovers and blocked a punt, and a resurgent running game that featured Najee Harris exceeding 100 yards for the first time this season.

With thousands of Terrible Towel-waving fans making it feel like a home game, the Steelers snapped a two-game losing streak that kept them tied at 4-2 with Baltimore atop the AFC North.

Two of the Steelers’ three touchdowns were produced on drives that were extended because of roughing-the-passer calls, including one that negated an interception.

“Those were huge,” quarterback Justin Fields said. “Those were super big.”

So was a penalty that denied Las Vegas a touchdown at the end of the third quarter that would have cut the Steelers’ 22-7 lead to one score.

Instead, the Steelers scored 26 unanswered points after trailing 7-3 in the first quarter and finished with a season high in points. The Steelers finished with 16 points off the turnovers the defense and special teams created.

“That’s complementary football, and that’s what you want,” Fields said. “It’s winning football.”

T.J. Watt had two forced fumbles, the first leading to a touchdown that provided the Steelers the lead for good, 12-7, late in the first half. Jeremiah Moon’s blocked punt in the third quarter led to a field goal, and Donte Jackson’s interception deep in Raiders territory set up a touchdown that gave the Steelers a 29-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Watt’s second forced fumble near the goal line kept a 15-point lead intact.

“We’ll take them anywhere on the field, but when you’re taking them away in the red zone, it’s big because you’re taking away points,” Watt said.

Harris had a 36-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave the Steelers a two-score cushion, and he finished with a season-high 106 yards on 14 attempts. Fields scored two rushing touchdowns, including one on a fourth-and-1 keeper, and added 59 yards rushing on 11 carries.

The Steelers finished with a season-high 183 rushing yards and came after back-to-back games in which Harris was held to 42 and 19 yards, respectively.

“I don’t know what he ate last night,” Fields said. “I don’t know what he did, but he sure did ball out today.”

Harris had 75 of his rushing yards after halftime. He had a 26-yard burst in the third quarter that set up his 36-yard run when he bounced outside and sped down the sideline until he reached the 5, where he dived for the pylon.

“He was running really hard,” left tackle Dan Moore said. “Najee always has it in him. It’s more the other 10 guys on the field executing and giving him space to run. It’s allowing him to be him.”

Fields completed 14 of 24 passes for 145 yards and had a season-low 75.9 passer rating.

“He did a nice job, particularly making some things happen with his legs, managing the circumstances and taking care of the ball,” coach Mike Tomlin said.

The Steelers took the field before a sea of black-and-gold jerseys in the crowd. Any advantage, though, dissipated on the Raiders’ first drive when they went 70 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-3 lead on Alexander Mattison’s 3-yard run.

“Everybody took a deep breath,” inside linebacker Patrick Queen said. “We had been so focused on starting fast that guys went out there and just did too much. Everyone settled down after that and played football.

The Raiders had just 47 yards and two first downs the rest of the half. They didn’t sustain a drive for longer than one first down until the fourth quarter.

“We got comfortable and started playing like ourselves,” safety DeShon Elliott said. “We said, ‘Let’s slow down and remember who we are and play like us.’”

The Steelers held a 12-7 halftime lead, getting a 3-yard touchdown run from Fields with 34 seconds left before intermission.

It came after a Fields interception was erased by a questionable roughing-the-passer call against Raiders defensive tackle Matthew Butler, who landed on the quarterback after a hit. Given new life, the Steelers went ahead on Fields’ fourth-and-1 scramble.

The Steelers began adding to their lead from the outset of the second half.

Moon, forced into a starting role at outside linebacker because of injuries to Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, made his biggest contribution on special teams. Moon blocked a punt deep inside Raiders territory on the first drive of the second half.

The Steelers took over at the 9 and settled for Chris Boswell’s third field goal of the game.

For the second time in the game, a roughing-the-passer call extended a Steelers drive. For the second time, the Steelers turned it into a touchdown. Maxx Crosby was called for the personal foul on a hit against Fields.

This penalty erased a third-down stop by the Raiders and gave the Steelers a first down at the Las Vegas 41.

“The second one was hard to see, so I’m glad the refs were able to see it,” Fields said. “Somebody did something extra to push my facemask into the ground. It was big for sure.”

Two plays later, Harris broke free down the left sideline and dived to the pylon for a 36-yard run that hiked the advantage to 22-7 with 4:21 left in the third. The Steelers literally were off and running to a rare comfortable victory.

“It’s a huge boost of confidence,” Moore said. “You never want to drop the ball two weeks in a row, but it feels like we’re back on track.”