The rout is officially on as the Pittsburgh Steelers have taken a 28-3 lead on the Oakland Raiders early in the fourth quarter. The Raiders had a promising drive going that looked to cut into the Pittsburgh lead as Bruce Gradkowski and Michael Bush combined to lead Oakland down to the Steelers 24 yard line.
However, Troy Polamalu picked off a poor Gradkowski pass intended for Jacoby Ford. Polamalu returned the ball to the Steelers 46 and things quickly got ugly. After Mewelde Moore picked up a couple yards on a rush off the left tackle, Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Wallace hooked up for a 52-yard touchdown reception highlighted by some impressive moves by Wallace after the catch.
The Raiders were hoping to use this game as a springboard towards a potential division title but they are struggling mightily. Jason Campbell was ineffective and finally benched in the third quarter and the Raiders defense has given up way too many big plays. While the Raiders have benefited from a ton of Steelers penalties, they really haven’t capitalized on the free yards.