Raiders 34, Steelers 31
Raiders 34, Steelers 31: Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired and the Raiders gave Dennis Allen his first win as a head coach in upsetting the visiting Steelers.
Darren McFadden ran for 113 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders (1-2), who scored the final 13 points and redeemed themselves after last week's disheartening 35-13 loss to the rebuilding Dolphins. The win doubled as a nice birthday gift for Allen, who turned 40 on Saturday.
Oakland had to overcome a huge day from Ben Roethlisberger, who was 36-of-49 for 384 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, Carson Palmer threw for 209 yards and three scores against a Pittsburgh (1-2) team missing Troy Polamalu (calf) and James Harrison (knee) for a second straight week.
After Oakland forced Pittsburgh to punt, Palmer guided the Raiders 49 yards in eight plays. He connected with Derek Hagan on a 17-yard pass that moved Oakland into field goal territory. Two plays later, Janikowski split the uprights.
After a Palmer touchdown pass to Denarius Moore cut the Pittsburgh lead to 31-28, Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, who recovered his own fumble in the end zone for a touchdown late in the third quarter, was stripped of the ball after a reception. The resulting turnover led to a 32-yard field goal by Janikowski that tied the game at 31 with just over six minutes to play.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Steelers racked up 235 yards in the first half and dominated time of possession (21:36-8:04). ... Roethlisberger came up limping early in the third quarter after Philip Wheeler lunged at his knee following a pass attempt. But he looked just fine later on in the drive when he scrambled around to buy time and hit a wide-open Mike Wallace in the back of the end zone for a 24-14 lead. ... There was a scary moment early in the fourth as Raiders' receiver
Darrius Heyward-Bey was removed on a stretcher after a vicious
helmet-to-helmet hit from Steelers safety Ryan Mundy in the back of the
end zone. After lying motionless on the field for about 10 minutes, Heyward-Bey gave a thumbs up to the
crowd as he was carted off. which drew a huge applause. Mundy was not whistled for a penalty on the play.