Steelers vs. Raiders score, takeaways: Derek Carr, Las Vegas light up Pittsburgh to move to 2-0 to start 2021

Carr's 382 yards propelled the Raiders to their second straight win

Six days after a dramatic overtime win over the Ravens, the Raiders traveled to Pittsburgh and outplayed the favored Steelers. The Raiders are now 2-0 on the season following Sunday's 26-17 victory. Pittsburgh is now 1-1 after losing its home opener for just the fourth time in Mike Tomlin's 15 years as the Steelers coach. 

Derek Carr took full advantage of a Steelers defense that had four starters out with injuries, as the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback threw for 382 yards on 28 of 37 passing. After settling for three Daniel Carlson field goals in the first half, the Raiders offense found the end zone twice in the second half on Carr's touchdown passes to Foster Moreau (nine yards) and Henry Ruggs III (61 yards). After the Steelers make it a one-score game with 3:25 left, Carr's 25-yard completion to tight end Darren Waller set up Carlson's fourth and game-clinching field goal. 

Pittsburgh lost more than Sunday's game. They may have lost defensive lineman Tyson Alualu for the season after he reportedly suffered a fractured ankle during the first quarter. The Steelers also lost T.J. Watt to a groin injury during the first half. Pittsburgh entered the game without starting inside linebacker Devin Bush and starting cornerback Joe Haden. Both players missed the game with groin injuries.  

Here's a full breakdown of what transpired Sunday. 

Why the Raiders won  

The Las Vegas defense had a stellar day. Solomon Thomas had two sacks on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was hit numerous other times throughout the course of the game. They held the Steelers offense to just 17 first downs, 331 total yards and just 5 of 12 on third down. The unit set up the game's first points on Trayvon Mullen's interception on a deep pass intended for Diontae Johnson.  

The Raiders enjoyed another stellar performance from Carr, whose 817 passing yards over the past two games is a franchise record. With Josh Jacobs out, Carr moved the ball by spreading it around to his playmakers, as eight different Raiders caught passes.  

Las Vegas responded to the three Steelers' scores with scores of its own. Carlson's third field goal of the first half came after JuJu Smith-Schuster scored on a 3-yard run. Carr's touchdown pass to Ruggs with 9:35 left came moments after Roethlisberger connected with Najee Harris on a 25-yard touchdown pass. Following Chris Boswell's 56-yard field goal (the longest in Heinz Field history), Carlson essentially ended the game with his fourth field goal of the afternoon. 

Why the Steelers lost  

Pittsburgh's defense was unable to overcome the losses of Alualu, Watt, Haden and Bush. Carr attacked backup cornerback James Pierre and inside linebacker Joe Schobert throughout the game. The unit failed to come up with a splash play while permitting six scoring drives. The Steelers offense had just one trip inside the 20-yard-line. They struggled to run the ball for the second time in as many weeks, with Harris gaining 38 of the team's 39 yards on the ground. Harris did have an impressive stiff-arm of Raiders defensive back Johnathan Abram that went viral. 

Turning point 

Ahead 9-7, Las Vegas faced a key 3rd-and-9 from their own 37-yard-line midway through the third quarter. Carr (who started the drive with an 18-yard completion to Bryan Edwards) hit Hunter Renfrow for a 23-yard completion to move the chains. His 30-yard completion to Ruggs two plays later set up his 9-yard scoring strike to Moreau that stretched the Raiders' lead to nine points. 

Play of the game 

Carr's 61-yard bomb to Ruggs came on a 3rd-and-10 play with the Raiders ahead, 16-14, with under 10 minutes remaining. Despite pressure from rookie defensive back Tre Norwood, Carr stood tall before heaving a perfectly thrown pass to Ruggs, who caught the ball over Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ahkello Witherspoon. Ruggs -- who racked up a game-high 113 receiving yards -- now has three-career touchdown catches of at least 45 yards. 

Quotable 

"I'm not going to a be a philosophical Socrates up here. We're all confident. We have a confident group. We were confident last year. We lost heartbreaking [games]. Gut-wrenching, disgusting losses at the end of football games. We have a long way to go. We're nowhere near perfect. God bless you. Sorry to interrupt you." -- Raiders coach Jon Gruden following Sunday's win in Pittsburgh 

Quotable II 

"It's frustrating. I put a lot of stinking time in, more than I probably ever have." -- Roethlisberger (via NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala) on Pittsburgh's offensive struggles following this offseason's playbook overhaul

What's next  

The Steelers open the AFC North portion of their schedule with a home game against the Bengals. Cincinnati fell to 1-1 after losing to the Bears in Chicago on Sunday, 20-17. Pittsburgh split its season series with Cincinnati in 2020. Las Vegas will return home for a game against the Dolphins. Miami fell to 1-1 on Sunday after being routed by the Bills at home, 35-0. 

Check our live blog below to re-live Sunday's action as it unfolded. 

[Sep 19, 2021 at 4:07 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Carr's 817 yards passing this season is the most in a two-game span in franchise history. 

[Sep 19, 2021 at 3:58 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Boswell's 56-yard FG is the longest ever at Heinz Field. But Steelers out of timeouts, so they'll defense will need to come up with a stop. Two first downs may close the game out. 

[Sep 19, 2021 at 3:45 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Steelers elect not to go for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 35 with 8:30 left. Raiders in position to put this one away. 

[Sep 19, 2021 at 3:42 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Henry Ruggs III just burned the Steelers' entire secondary for a 61-yard touchdown, as Raiders extend their lead to 23-14. That's Ruggs' third career touchdown catch of at least 45 yards.