The Pittsburgh Steelers got back in the winning column on Sunday by taking down the Las Vegas Raiders by a score of 32-13. This win was crucial after Pittsburgh had lost two straight games, and it keeps the Steelers on pace with the Baltimore Ravens near the top of the AFC North. Pittsburgh was fairly beat up going into their game against the Raiders, especially on the defensive side of the football. The lack of depth at cornerback and outside linebacker has been a concern, but Pittsburgh still found a way to capture a victory.
Pittsburgh had already gone through three outside linebackers to line up opposite of TJ Watt going into this contest. Unfortunately, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, and DeMarvin Leal were all ruled out of this game. Leal and Herbig were injured in the Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, while Highsmith has been hurt since Pittsburgh's Week 3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Highsmith is shooting to return in Week 7, but in the meantime, Pittsburgh had to rely on some players that would usually be on the practice squad.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin apparently used the story of Robert Spillane to motivate the players that would need to step up and make an impact on Sunday. He told this to Evan Washburn of CBS, who shared it with the public during the broadcast of the game.
"Robert Spillane, who you mentioned, spent some time in Pittsburgh, actually came up early in the week in Mike Tomlin's meeting to the team. He put Spillane's story up on the screen to let the guys know that were stepping in that this could be your story. You could make a name for yourself in this game."
Spillane's story is interesting. He went undrafted during the 2018 NFL Draft, and he was with the Steelers from 2019 through the 2022 season. After the 2022 season, he signed with the Raiders and has become a captain for them while being one of their better defenders. Spillane was initially waived by the Steelers in 2019 and then brought back on the practice squad, but became a full-time starter once Devin Bush tore his ACL.
The importance of Spillane's journey is that he faced a ton of adversity to begin his career, even while he was with the Steelers. However, he powered through and took advantage of every opportunity he was given. This was the story Tomlin wanted to share with the guys who would be stepping up for injured players, like Ade Ogundeji and Eku Leota. Ogundeji was promoted to the active roster on Saturday, but Leota was activated for just this game as he is still on the practice squad.
Both players filled in well. Neither made any significant splash plays, but they weren't a liability while they were on the field, which is a good thing. Leota played 21 percent of the defensive snaps and Ogundeji played 25 percent. Ogundeji was able to knock a ball down at the line of scrimmage and Leota had a solo tackle.
Steelers Made Robert Spillane Eat His Words
Spillane left the Steelers after the 2022 season when he signed a two-year deal with the Raiders. He made it clear throughout the week leading up to the contest that he has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to Pittsburgh because they didn't bring him back during free agency of the 2023 offseason. Earlier in the week, Spillane shared that he was looking forward to playing well against Pittsburgh, but the Steelers had a somewhat easy win as they won the contest by 19 points.
The linebacker finished the game with eight total tackles, which happens to be his lowest total of the 2024 season. He also had a pass defensed, but overall, the Raiders' defense seemed to struggle against the rushing attack of the Steelers, which had its best game of the season.
