Welcome to victory Monday, Pittsburgh Steelers fans. It was just the sixth one of the year, as the black and gold now sit at 6-8 heading into Week 16. Following the win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, it's now time to look ahead to the Las Vegas Raiders this upcoming weekend. Back at home at Acrisure Stadium, it won't be the same kind of weather that we saw in Week 15.
Photo Credit: Acrisure.com
In fact, it's shaping up to be one of the coldest games in Pittsburgh's history. As of now, Saturday is forecasted to be in the single digits at Acrisure Stadium. The coldest game in Pittsburgh history? That was back in 1977 in Cincinnati against the Bengals. This weekend's game has a chance to top that. As of now, the wind chill looks like it will easily sit in the negatives throughout Saturday evening.
Mitch Trubisky (10) caps 21 play drive with QB Sneak. Photo Credit: Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
The contest actually still remains one of the coldest games in NFL history. Led by Terry Bradshaw, Jack Lambert and others, Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati 17-10 on that afternoon. This weekend will be the kind of game in which establishing a run game will be crucial. It's the perfect matchup for two former rivals, the Raiders, and the Steelers.
Raiders Running Back Josh Jacobs leads the NFL in rushing yards by quite a large margin, as he has nearly 200 more than Derrick Henry. On the contrary, Pittsburgh's defense has been quite good lately other than its disappointing performance in Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens. In Sunday's win, they held the Panthers to just 21 rushing yards on 16 attempts.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Assuming he returns from his concussion this week, we'll get to see rookie Quarterback Kenny Pickett in the first truly "cold" game of his NFL career. Of course, there was plenty of talk in the pre-draft process about the rookie's small-sized hands. That led to concern about how well he can play in the cold, especially since he uses gloves. Let's hope Pickett puts all of that talk to bed in Week 16.
What are your expectations against the Raiders in Week 16? What are the keys to picking up the seventh win of the season? How do you think Pickett will play in these forecasted conditions? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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