Monday, September 16, 2002
Raiders 30, Steelers 17
Gannon 43-of-64 for 403 yards
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — The Oakland Raiders didn't just go back to Pittsburgh's loss to New England last week for their game plan. They returned to their days in the pass-happy AFL. Rich Gannon broke nearly every major single-game Raiders passing record, even those from the early days of the AFL, by throwing 64 times and Oakland's defense forced five turnovers as the Raiders beat the winless Steelers 30-17 Sunday night.
Just as the Patriots' Tom Brady did Monday in a 30-14 win over Pittsburgh, Gannon came out throwing — only he didn't stop, going 43-of-64 for 403 yards and a touchdown. The 43 completions were only two short of Drew Bledsoe's 1995 NFL record — that in an overtime game — and all but the yardage were Oakland records. The Raiders rushed only 14 times.
Coach Bill Callahan insisted all week the Raiders (2-0) wouldn't do as the Patriots did Monday by using a no-huddle offense, emptying the backfield and throwing on nearly every down.
Then they did exactly that, throwing a remarkable 41 times just in the first half, including 30 of their first 32 offensive plays. The turnaround was remarkable for a team that both ran and passed for more than 200 yards in easily beating Seattle last week.
Just as the Patriots did in throwing 25 consecutive times Monday, they threw underneath Pittsburgh's coverage as cornerbacks Dewayne Washington and Chad Scott often gave big cushions to the receivers. When the Steelers blitzed, Gannon took quick three-step drops and delivered the ball before the blitzers arrived.
They threw so much, only their second run of the game resulted in a 36-yard touchdown by Charlie Garner, who wasn't touched after squirming past the line of scrimmage.
The strategy worked perfectly as the Raiders opened a 17-7 lead, even while settling for Sebastian Janikowski's 41-yard field goal on a 7 minutes-plus opening drive that stalled near the goal line. Gannon also wasted another efficient drive, underthrowing a pass intended for Jerry Rice at the goal line that linebacker Joey Porter intercepted.
The Steelers couldn't turn the mistake into points, though, as they drove to their 3, only to have quarterback Kordell Stewart fumble the snap on first-and-goal as he bumped into center Jeff Hartings' right leg, with Rod Woodson recovering. Woodson had three of the Raiders' four fumble recoveries.
The Steelers have a remarkable 11 turnovers during an 0-2 start that would be stunning even if opposing offenses weren't throwing so often and so successfully against them.
After that first turnover by Stewart, the Raiders immediately drove it 90 yards, with Gannon hitting Jerry Porter over the middle on a 21-yard scoring pass on a drive in which they converted five times on third down — three times on third-and-10 and longer.
Oakland would have taken that 10-point lead into the half, but the Steelers' much-maligned special teams blocked Kevin Stemke's punt in the final minute of the half, and Pittsburgh turned it into Todd Peterson's 46-yard field goal — his first with the Steelers.
However, the special teams problems that doomed Pittsburgh in their AFC title game loss to New England last season surfaced again just when they seemed to be back into the game.
Gannon was intercepted near the goal line by Joey Porter for the second time in the game, and he returned it 84 yards. Five plays later, Stewart — who had thrown five straight incompletions — hit Hines Ward on a 7-yarder for his second touchdown of the game, cutting the Raiders' lead to 20-17.
But Terry Kirby, one of the NFL's oldest kick returners at age 32, immediately ran back the kickoff 96 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter to again push the lead to 10 points, at 27-17. It was the fourth special teams touchdown allowed by the Steelers in their last four games, dating to last season.
The Steelers, widely regarded as the AFC's preseason favorite, is 0-2 for the second time in three seasons. They opened 0-3 in 2000 before winning nine of their last 13.
Jeff Hostetler set the Raiders record of 424 yards passing in 1993.
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Raiders 30, Steelers 17 
