‘Some self-inflicted wounds’: Mistake-prone Raiders pounded by Steelers

Sunday’s game against the Steelers was going to be tough for a variety of reasons. There were the injuries to wide receivers Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers and running back Zamir White, who were inactive for the game. And then there was the crowd at Allegiant Stadium, which was at least 65 percent Steelers fans decked out in their black and gold colors.

But the cornucopia of bad plays, poor tackling, bonehead penalties and head-scratching coaching decisions were unforgivable in a deflating 32-13 loss.

Where they go from here is anyone’s guess.

At 2-4, the Raiders are in last place in the AFC West and falling further behind in the wild-card race.

O’Connell struggles, too

The quarterback switch from Gardner Minshew to Aidan O’Connell fell far short of the desired effect. The defense continues to be a shell of what it was supposed to be. And for all of coach Antonio Pierce’s chutzpah and motivational prowess, he again didn’t have his team ready to play.

Worse, he cost the Raiders by not challenging what appeared to be Ameer Abdullah’s fourth-quarter touchdown run that officials ruled down at the 1-yard line.

“I thought I scored,” Abdullah said.

The referees saw it otherwise.

Pierce said he consulted with his coaching booth for guidance on whether to challenge the call, but the response was “it’s close.”

Exacerbating matters was the Raiders’ decision to go to a hurry-up offense and quickly snap the ball for the next play. It turned out to be a disastrous call, as Abdullah was stripped of the ball by defensive end T.J. Watt. Safety DeShon Elliott scooped it up for a fumble recovery.

Rather than cutting their deficit to 22-14 with plenty of time remaining, the Raiders were back on defense. The Steelers eventually scored another touchdown to go up 29-7. The Raiders never threatened again.

The nonchallenge and Abdullah’s fumble were just two examples of the Raiders’ season-long habit of shooting themselves in the foot.

On the play before Abdullah’s run to the goal line, left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson was flagged for an ineligible man downfield penalty that wiped out Alexander Mattison’s 6-yard touchdown reception.

‘Self-inflicted wounds’

It was one of four backbreaking infractions by the Raiders.

Matthew Butler’s second-quarter roughing the passer penalty negated Divine Deablo’s interception and set up Justin Fields’ 3-yard touchdown run and a 12-7 lead.

A third-quarter holding call on center Andre James wiped out O’Connell’s 18-yard completion to rookie tight end Brock Bowers. Three plays later, the Raiders failed to secure the line on AJ Cole’s punt, resulting in the first blocked punt of his career. That set up a field goal that put the Steelers up 15-7.

K’Lavon Chaisson’s third-quarter roughing the passer penalty on a third and 18 gave the Steelers a new set of downs, leading to Najee Harris’ 36-yard touchdown run to put Pittsburgh up 22-7.

“Some self-inflicted wounds,” said O’Connell, who completed 27 of 40 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Then there was rookie Dylan Laube’s second-quarter fumble — on the first carry of his career — that set up the Steelers at the Raiders’ 30-yard line. Pittsburgh cashed in on Fields’ 3-yard touchdown run.

Laube’s fumble was one of three turnovers, including the fumble by Abdullah and O’Connell’s fourth-quarter interception. The Steelers converted them into two touchdowns.

“The turnover thing is embarrassing,” said Pierce, whose team has the NFL’s worst turnover differential at minus-10. “We don’t respect the ball enough, so we don’t even deserve a chance to put ourselves into position to win.”

The play-calling was also suspect. Just before the blocked punt, the Raiders called runs rather than passes on back-to-back plays of first and 20 and second and 18. The two plays netted 3 yards.

And the run defense continues to be suspect. The Raiders allowed 183 yards on the ground, led by Harris’ 106. They have allowed more than 100 yards in five of six games.

“We’ve got to find ways to get better,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “And it sucks for the fans. I want them to see the best version of us, and we haven’t been able to show that to them.”

They have to dig themselves out of an early-season hole for the third straight season.

“Our record is what it shows — we’re 2-4,” Pierce said bluntly. “It’s not good enough. We’re not coaching well enough, we’re not playing well enough, and we’re not detailing well enough.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.