Pittsburgh @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 23, 2012 ) Pittsburgh 31, Oakland 34

The Pittsburgh Steelers are still picking up the pieces after an 0-4 start but appear to be headed in the right direction with wins in the last two contests. The Steelers will attempt to make it three straight when they visit the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. The Raiders are coming off a bye week and are a much better team at home, where they have taken two of their first three games.

Pittsburgh won a defensive slugfest against rival Baltimore last week and got some positive contributions from the running game, which had been a big area of concern. Rookie Le’Veon Bell ran for a season-high 93 yards on nearly five yards per carry but could be in for a tougher road against an Oakland run defense that ranks 10th in the league in average yardage allowed. Running the ball and stopping the run are the two biggest strengths for the Raiders, who are 29th in the league in average passing yards.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Steelers -2.5. O/U: 40.

ABOUT THE STEELERS (2-4): Pittsburgh’s biggest area of improvement in the two victories is on the defensive side of the ball, where it allowed a total of 22 points. The Steelers gave up an average of 27.5 points in the first four games and were burned for over 30 in the two games before a Week 5 bye. Ben Roethlisberger went 17-for-23 passing in the win over the Ravens last week and turned in his second straight game with a passer rating above 100.

ABOUT THE RAIDERS (2-4): Terrelle Pryor is in his first year as a starting quarterback and had shown signs of breaking out in three straight games bridging September and October, throwing three touchdown passes without an interception as Oakland went 2-1. The Raiders and Pryor were much less impressive on offense against a stout Kansas City defense in Week 6, with Pryor getting picked off three times. Darren McFadden has struggled in his last three but rushed for 113 yards in a 34-31 victory over the Steelers last season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Raiders have lost their last 10 games coming off a bye week.

2. Roethlisberger (198) needs two touchdown passes to reach 200 for his career.

3. Pittsburgh rookie LB Jarvis Jones (concussion) returned to practice this week and is expected to play Sunday.

PREDICTION: Steelers 24, Raiders 17