FLASH RECAP:
Oakland gains a season-low 161 total yards and surrenders 27 unanswered points en route to a blowout loss to host Pittsburgh before an announced crowd of 53,079 at Heinz Field on Dec. 7, 2003.
With their third straight loss, the Raiders (3-10) have their third worst record in franchise history - exceeded only by a 1-13 record in 1962 and a 2-12 mark the previous season.
The Raiders fall to 0-7 in road games this season, equaling a franchise record set in 1962. They dropped 10 straight road games in 1961-62.
One week after Raiders coach Bill Callahan called his players "the dumbest team in America," Oakland responds with a lackadaisical performance. After Tyrone Wheatley's 22-yard touchdown run gives the Raiders a 7-0 advantage late in the first quarter, the previously reeling (5-8) Steelers dominate.
Jerome Bettis rushes for 106 yards and a TD and Pittsburgh's defense holds Oakland to only 53 total yards in the second half. Bettis, a.k.a. The Bus, overtakes Thurman Thomas for ninth place on the league's career rushing list. Bettis (with 12,116 yards) needs only five yards to pass former Steelers great Franco Harris.
Raiders quarterback Rick Mirer, who sustains a sprained left ankle early in the second quarter, is 10-of-25 passing for 68 yards with two interceptions and an absymal 14.6 passer rating.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
WR/KR Antwaan Randel El - Comes close to scoring three TDs with five punt returns for 132 yards, three receptions for 48 yards and 225 all-purpose yards. Randel El has a 39-yard punt return negated by penalty during the first half.
RB Jerome Bettis - Rushes for 106 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown. It's the first 100-yard performance for The Bus since he gains 109 rushing yards at Cincinnati on Oct. 13, 2002.
QB Tommy Maddox - Throws for 266 yards and one TD on 19 completions in 28 attempts for a glittering 195.2 passer rating.
DE Kimo von Oelhoffen - Contributes three of Pittsburgh's four sacks on Rick Mirer.
CB Dewayne Washington - Intercepts a Rick Mirer pass late in the second quarter that sets up a Plaxico Burress TD reception. Washington, who starts his first game in five weeks because of Chad Scott's season-ending hand injury, tips another pass that S Brent Alexander intercepts.
RB Tyrone Wheatley - Twenty-two of his 65 rushing yards comes on his first-quarter scoring run, Oakland's only TD the past two games.
DE Tyler Brayton - The rookie from Colorado, who has five solo tackles, continues to improve in a season gone wrong.
SS Derrick Gibson - Contributes an interception and six tackles (three solo) in his return to the starting lineup two weeks after sustaining a neck injury against Kansas City on Nov. 23.
KEY STAT:
The Raiders gain 63 yards (seven running plays) on their first-quarter TD drive. They have 98 yards on their other 12 possessions.
TURNING POINT:
The Steelers score 17 points during the second quarter to erase a 7-0 deficit. Trailing 7-3, Pittsburgh takes a 10-7 lead on Jerome Bettis' 11-yard run with 5:26 left in the first half. Three plays after Dewayne Washington intercepts Rick Mirer, Tommy Maddox throws a 14-yard TD pass to Plaxico Burress on third-and-three for a 17-7 Steelers lead with 2:06 remaining before intermission.
BY THE NUMBERS:
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7: Consecutive Oakland road losses this season.
21: Raiders touchdowns in 13 games.
53: Oakland total yards in the second half.
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders G Frank Middleton
"Nobody has surrendered yet. We're trying to keep the pride. It's just getting hard right now."
"In the middle of the third quarter, maybe they gave up. They were ready to go home. It was cold (30 degrees) and they had a long flight home and they've had problems with their coach."
Steelers WR Hines Ward
DID YOU KNOW?:
Oakland's 3-10 record is its worst since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, and the third worst in franchise history - trailing only the 1-13 Raiders in 1962 and a 2-12 record in 1961.
The Steelers' Jerome Bettis (36) scores
on an 11-yard run against the Raiders.
