FLASH RECAP:
Jeff Reed's 42-yard field goal with seven seconds left gives host Pittsburgh a season-opening victory over Oakland before an announced crowd of 60,147 at Heinz Field on Sept. 12, 2004.
The Raiders (0-1) stun the Steelers and their towel-waving fans with 11 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to deadlock the score at 21-all. With Pittsburgh leading 21-13, Rich Gannon throws a 38-yard touchdown pass to Alvis Whitted (photo, top) on fourth-and-12 with 4:51 remaining. An uncovered Whitted then catches Gannon's pass on the 2-point conversion try.
The Raiders' euphoria is short-lived as Tommy Maddox drives the Steelers 54 yards to the Oakland 24. Hines Ward burns Raiders cornerback Phillip Buchanon on 11- and 15-yard catches to set up Reed's game-winning kick. Time expires after the Raiders fumble away the kickoff.
Running back Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, demoted earlier in the week, leads the Steelers with three rushing touchdowns. Gannon fuels Oakland's comeback with two TD passes, but he throws two interceptions and loses a fumble.
In Norv Turner's debut as Raiders coach, Oakland rushes for only 61 yards and coughs up four turnovers.
"I pride myself in taking care of the football," Gannon tells reporters after Oakland suffers its 10th consecutive regular-season road loss. "The ball was on the ground way too much today. The turnovers really hurt us. I'll accept that responsibilty."
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
RB Jerome Bettis - Three rushing touchdowns on 5 carries for 1 yard. The 12-year veteran scores on three one-yard runs. In his four previous career games against the Raiders, Bettis scored only once on 71 carries.
OLB Clark Haggans - Has two sacks, two forced fumbles and 5 tackles.
WR Hines Ward - Contibutes 99 receiving yards on 7 catches.
RB Duece Staley - Rushes for 91 yards on 24 carries in his Steelers debut.
WR Alvis Whitted - Scores his first NFL regular-season touchdown on a 38-yard reception on fourth-and-12 late in the fourth quarter. His subsequent catch on the 2-point conversion try deadlocks the score at 21-all.
QB Rich Gannon - Throws for two touchdowns and 305 yards, but two of his three turnovers stop promising drives in Pittsburgh territory.
WR Doug Gabriel - Contributes 3 catches for 81 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown reception late in the first half.
K Sebastian Janikowski - Makes 28- and 38-yard field goals. The Polish Cannon has kicked 34 straight field goals from inside 45 yards dating back to the 2002 season.
GOAT:
Raiders QB Rich Gannon throws two interceptions and loses one of three fumbles. His first of two second-quarter fumbles leads to a Pittsburgh touchdown and a 14-0 Oakland deficit.
KEY STAT:
The Steelers' Jerome Bettis scores three touchdowns on five rushing attempts.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1: Raiders victories in road season openers since 1991. Over that juncture, the Raiders are 1-9 when they open a season on the road. Their lone win was 27-24 triumph at Kansas City in 2001.
2.8: Raiders average yards per rush on 22 running plays.
5: Victories for Steelers coach Bill Cowher in six career games against the Raiders.
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders WR Jerry Porter
"They let us hang around, but we couldn't close the deal. We should be coming out of here with a win. We made a lot of errors."
"We were good at times, shaky at times, but we still did what we had to and won. It was disappointing we let them back in the game, but everyone's excited we won."
Steelers QB Tommy Maddox
DID YOU KNOW?:
The Raiders equal a franchise record with their 10th straight regular-season road loss. They haven't won a road game since a 27-7 victory at San Diego on Dec. 8, 2002. The Raiders also dropped 10 straight road games in 1961-62.
Raiders WR Alvis Whitted makes a fourth-quarter
touchdown catch behind Steelers S Mike Logan.
