Breven Honda
The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off of a wild 30-24 victory over New England as the Silver and Black scored 13 points in the final 32 seconds of regulation, despite having 13 penalties go against them.
Now, Las Vegas is traveling for the final time of the regular season to play a cold weather game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Eve at 5:15 p.m. PT.
Temperatures for Saturday’s kickoff are projected to be 10 degrees as Winter Storm Elliot passes through the region.
The matchup between these two teams for this particular day was supposed to be festive as it is the 50th Anniversary of the Immaculate Reception. The Steelers originally planned a series of events honoring the catch by Franco Harris that would conclude with a halftime presentation of the team retiring his number.
However, Harris passed away on Wednesday at the age of 72.
The team is still planning to have the ceremony during halftime.
The Steelers are coming off a 24-16 road win over Carolina. Although quarterback Mitchell Trubisky completed 17-of-22 passes for 179 yards against the Panthers, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett is expected to start on Saturday.
Both Las Vegas and Pittsburgh are 6-8 and are trying to remain in the playoff hunt with a victory.
Here are three bold predictions for the Christmas Eve matchup.
Related: Super Bowl odds: Every team’s championship futures for 2022-23 NFL season
Darren Waller will step up in a big way
Tight end Darren Waller made his return last week and caught all three of his passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Head coach Josh McDaniels ensured Waller and Hunter Renfrow were not playing a full number of snaps as both were returning to the field after spending the last four weeks on Injured Reserve.
Despite having a snap count in place, McDaniels made sure they were on the field when the Raiders needed their playmakers the most, especially on the final drive.
Renfrow was targeted on the first play of the game-tying scoring drive, but the ball was out of reach. On the other hand, Waller caught a 20-yard pass with less than a minute remaining that set up the touchdown to Keelan Cole two plays later.
Now with the Raiders passing attack back to full strength and Pittsburgh keeping their eye on wide receiver Davante Adams, quarterback Derek Carr will turn to his top tight end option to lead the team in receptions and yards.
Related: Why Las Vegas Raiders must re-sign Mack Hollins next offseason
Las Vegas Raiders defense will thrive against young Steelers offense
Not only did Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones capture the football and scamper to the end zone on the final play last week, but the entire defense stepped up when they needed to.
Las Vegas allowed a season-low 112 passing yards and did that without a couple of players in the secondary.
Cornerback Tyler Hall, who appeared in his fourth game of the season on Sunday, recorded three tackles and a pass deflection. That, as well as his coverage, led him to have a 74.2 Pro Football Focus grade, which was the third-highest mark on the team.
Another young player was also a factor on Sunday in rookie linebacker Luke Masterson, who had a game-high 11 total tackles, including a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
This season, Pickett has thrown eight of Pittsburgh’s 13 interceptions, which is the fifth-highest mark in the NFL.
As a result, the defense will take advantage of a young quarterback for the second consecutive week.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders: Derek Carr, Chandler Jones shine amid year of heavy criticism
Las Vegas Raiders offensive line will dominate
Running back Josh Jacobs, who was one of three Raiders named to the Pro Bowl Games on Wednesday, has been successful this season because of his offensive line’s ability to control the line of scrimmage by opening up large gaps.
Like the defense, a rookie came up big on Sunday. That was the team’s third-round pick last April in left guard Dylan Parham, who had a 77.3 PFF grade, which was the second-highest mark on the team.
In addition, Parham’s next-door teammate, center Andre James recorded a 72.6 PFF grade, which was fourth best last week.
Having two players on the offensive line that had productive days is a big reason why not only Jacobs has been successful to be the NFL’s leading rusher, but for Carr to be sacked at least three times in a game for just the third time this season and the first since Week 8.
In addition, the offensive line had not allowed a sack in its previous two games entering their game versus New England.
The Las Vegas O-line will get back on track, not allowing a sack, giving way for Jacobs to have a big day in the Pittsburgh cold on Saturday.
Related: NFL Power Rankings Week 16: See where the Raiders rank
