Oakland @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 27, 2013 ) Pittsburgh 18, Oakland 21

Two teams riding streaks in opposite directions collide Sunday when the Oakland Raiders visit the Pittsburgh Steelers. Oakland is attempting to post its third consecutive victory as it enters Week 9 as one of only five AFC teams with a record better than .500.

The Raiders have been clicking on all cylinders offensively, scoring a total of 71 points in triumphs over San Diego and the New York Jets. Conversely, Pittsburgh has had difficulty putting up points of late, totaling 23 over its last two games in losses to Kansas City and Cincinnati. The Steelers lost more than a game last Sunday as Le'Veon Bell suffered a severe MCL injury in his right knee versus the Bengals and is done for the season. Ben Roethlisberger returned from a four-game absence because of a left knee injury and threw for 262 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted three times.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Steelers -4. O/U: 48

ABOUT THE RAIDERS (4-3): Charles Woodson continued his amazing season last week as he recorded his league-leading fifth interception of the season and the 65th of his career, tying the 39-year-old with Ken Riley for fifth place on the all-time list. Derek Carr has thrown for 300 yards in three of Oakland's four victories and fell 11 yards shy of the plateau in the other triumph. The 24-year-old has registered 15 touchdown passes, including a career high-tying four against New York, with only three interceptions.

ABOUT THE STEELERS (4-4): DeAngelo Williams will take over for Bell in the backfield for the second time this season. The 32-year-old veteran filled in for the suspended Bell in Pittsburgh's first two games of the year, rushing for 127 yards in a loss to New England in the opener before finding the end zone three times in a triumph over San Francisco. The Steelers have a difficult task in containing Carr as their pass defense ranks 26th in the league (269.5 yards).

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Raiders have not reached the halfway point of the season with a record better than .500 since 2001, when they were 6-2 and went on to win the AFC West with a 10-6 mark.

2. Roethlisberger, who became the first Steelers quarterback to reach the 40,000-yard plateau last week, is 1-4 lifetime against the Raiders.

3. Oakland rookie WR Amari Cooper is on pace to become the team's first receiver with 1,000 yards since Randy Moss in 2005.

PREDICTION: Steelers 31, Raiders 27