Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Las Vegas Raiders: 2023 Week 3 Recap

Game story

In Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season on 2023-09-24, the Pittsburgh Steelers took care of business against the Las Vegas Raiders, pulling away with a 23–18 final that stayed a one-score game deep into the second half.

The highest-scoring period was Q1 with 20 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

J. Garoppolo (Las Vegas Raiders) paced the passing game, with -4.58 total EPA, and -4.4% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, K. Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +9.15 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+16.5% win probability) landed in the opening quarter when Pittsburgh Steelers changed the game: (6:21) (Shotgun) 8-K.Pickett pass deep middle to 19-C.Austin for 72 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on LV-25-T.Moehrig, Defensive Holding, declined.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 K. Pickett · Pittsburgh Steelers · Passing · +9.15 total EPA · 32 snaps · +0.29 EPA/play
2. 2 D. Adams · Las Vegas Raiders · Receiving · +8.54 total EPA · 20 snaps · +0.43 EPA/play
3. 3 G. Pickens · Pittsburgh Steelers · Receiving · +5.99 total EPA · 6 snaps · +1.00 EPA/play
4. 4 P. Freiermuth · Pittsburgh Steelers · Receiving · +2.68 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.67 EPA/play
5. 5 C. Austin · Pittsburgh Steelers · Receiving · +2.37 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.39 EPA/play
6. 6 A. Robinson · Pittsburgh Steelers · Receiving · +1.04 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.26 EPA/play
7. 7 D. Carter · Las Vegas Raiders · Receiving · -0.06 total EPA · 1 snaps · -0.06 EPA/play
8. 8 H. Renfrow · Las Vegas Raiders · Receiving · -0.07 total EPA · 2 snaps · -0.04 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Las Vegas Raiders — D. Adams (J. Garoppolo pass) (Q1 52:10)
• Pittsburgh Steelers — C. Austin (K. Pickett pass) (Q1 51:21)
• Pittsburgh Steelers — P. Freiermuth (K. Pickett pass) (Q3 19:00)
• Las Vegas Raiders — D. Adams (J. Garoppolo pass) (Q4 5:44)

Field goals

• Pittsburgh Steelers — C. Boswell (Q2 38:37)
• Pittsburgh Steelers — C. Boswell (Q2 32:00)
• Pittsburgh Steelers — C. Boswell (Q3 24:33)
• Las Vegas Raiders — D. Carlson (Q4 2:25)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Las Vegas Raiders won the period 13–7. Las Vegas Raiders found the end zone from the PIT 32 (Q1 52:10) — (7:10) 10-J.Garoppolo pass deep middle to 17-D.Adams for 32 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Las Vegas Raiders found the end zone from the PIT 15 (Q1 52:04) — 2-D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-50-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-A.Cole.; Pittsburgh Steelers found the end zone from the LV 72 (Q1 51:21); Pittsburgh Steelers added 1 points from the LV 15 (Q1 51:12) — 9-C.Boswell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Kuntz, Holder-6-P.Harvin..

The second quarter: Pittsburgh Steelers won the period 6–0. Pittsburgh Steelers connected on a field goal from the LV 25 (Q2 38:37) — (8:37) 9-C.Boswell 43 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Kuntz, Holder-6-P.Harvin.; Pittsburgh Steelers connected on a field goal from the LV 23 (Q2 32:00) — (2:00) 9-C.Boswell 42 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Kuntz, Holder-6-P.Harvin..

The third quarter: Pittsburgh Steelers won the period 10–0. Pittsburgh Steelers connected on a field goal from the LV 39 (Q3 24:33) — (9:33) 9-C.Boswell 57 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Kuntz, Holder-6-P.Harvin.; Pittsburgh Steelers found the end zone from the LV 13 (Q3 19:00) — (4:00) 8-K.Pickett pass short left to 88-P.Freiermuth for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Pittsburgh Steelers added 1 points from the LV 15 (Q3 18:56) — 9-C.Boswell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Kuntz, Holder-6-P.Harvin..

The fourth quarter: Las Vegas Raiders won the period 11–0. Las Vegas Raiders found the end zone from the PIT 1 (Q4 5:44) — (5:44) (Shotgun) 10-J.Garoppolo pass short left to 17-D.Adams for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Las Vegas Raiders registered a safety from the PIT 1 (Q4 5:41) — TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. 10-J.Garoppolo pass to 87-M.Mayer is complete. ATTEMPT SUCCEEDS.; Las Vegas Raiders connected on a field goal from the PIT 8 (Q4 2:25) — (2:25) 2-D.Carlson 26 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-50-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-A.Cole..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Pittsburgh Steelers (Q1 51:21) — (6:21) (Shotgun) 8-K.Pickett pass deep middle to 19-C.Austin for 72 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on LV-25-T.Moehrig, Defensive Holding, declined. [WPA +16.5% · EPA +6.79]
• Las Vegas Raiders (Q1 52:10) — (7:10) 10-J.Garoppolo pass deep middle to 17-D.Adams for 32 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +11.6% · EPA +4.52]
• Las Vegas Raiders (Q4 3:15) — (3:15) 2-D.Carlson 48 yard field goal is GOOD, NULLIFIED by Penalty, Center-50-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-A.Cole. PENALTY on PIT-98-D.Leal, Leverage, 15 yards, enforced at PIT 29 - No Play. [WPA +10.6% · EPA +3.10]
• Pittsburgh Steelers (Q2 40:30) — (10:30) 8-K.Pickett up the middle to LV 44 for 2 yards (41-R.Spillane). PENALTY on LV-98-M.Crosby, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at LV 44. [WPA +8.8% · EPA +1.40]
• Pittsburgh Steelers (Q2 35:50) — (5:50) (Shotgun) 8-K.Pickett pass incomplete deep left to 19-C.Austin. PENALTY on LV-0-J.Bennett, Defensive Pass Interference, 16 yards, enforced at PIT 36 - No Play. [WPA +8.1% · EPA +2.25]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Pittsburgh Steelers (Q1 51:21) — (6:21) (Shotgun) 8-K.Pickett pass deep middle to 19-C.Austin for 72 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on LV-25-T.Moehrig, Defensive Holding, declined. [WPA +16.5% · EPA +6.79]
• Las Vegas Raiders (Q1 52:10) — (7:10) 10-J.Garoppolo pass deep middle to 17-D.Adams for 32 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +11.6% · EPA +4.52]
• Las Vegas Raiders (Q2 42:27) — (12:27) (Shotgun) 10-J.Garoppolo pass short middle intended for 87-M.Mayer INTERCEPTED by 29-L.Wallace [90-T.Watt] at PIT 31. 29-L.Wallace to PIT 31 for no gain (87-M.Mayer). [WPA -6.2% · EPA -4.33]
• Las Vegas Raiders (Q4 13:18) — (13:18) (Shotgun) 10-J.Garoppolo pass incomplete short middle to 16-J.Meyers (29-L.Wallace). [WPA -2.2% · EPA -3.44]

Quarterback report card

J.Garoppolo led all passers in efficiency for Las Vegas Raiders, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• J.Garoppolo (Las Vegas Raiders) · 54 dropbacks · 51.9% completion · -4.4% CPOE · -0.08 EPA/play · -4.58 total EPA
• K.Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers) · 32 dropbacks · 50.0% completion · -10.1% CPOE · +0.29 EPA/play · +9.15 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, Pittsburgh Steelers generated the better offensive EPA per play (+0.03 vs -0.08), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Las Vegas Raiders: 12 drives, -7.34 total EPA, 3 scoring drives
• Pittsburgh Steelers: 13 drives, +2.39 total EPA, 5 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Pittsburgh Steelers leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• K. Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• J. Garoppolo (LV) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
• K. Pickett (PIT) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Las Vegas Raiders TD (+6) — Q1 52:10 · PIT 32 · Score 0-6
   (7:10) 10-J.Garoppolo pass deep middle to 17-D.Adams for 32 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Las Vegas Raiders TD (+7) — Q1 52:04 · PIT 15 · Score 0-7
   2-D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-50-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-A.Cole.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers TD (+6) — Q1 51:21 · LV 72 · Score 6-7
   (6:21) (Shotgun) 8-K.Pickett pass deep middle to 19-C.Austin for 72 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on LV-25-T.Moehrig, Defensive Holding, declined.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers XP (+1) — Q1 51:12 · LV 15 · Score 7-7
   9-C.Boswell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Kuntz, Holder-6-P.Harvin.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers FG (+3) — Q2 38:37 · LV 25 · Score 10-7
   (8:37) 9-C.Boswell 43 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Kuntz, Holder-6-P.Harvin.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers FG (+3) — Q2 32:00 · LV 23 · Score 13-7
   (2:00) 9-C.Boswell 42 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Kuntz, Holder-6-P.Harvin.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers FG (+3) — Q3 24:33 · LV 39 · Score 16-7
   (9:33) 9-C.Boswell 57 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Kuntz, Holder-6-P.Harvin.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers TD (+6) — Q3 19:00 · LV 13 · Score 22-7
   (4:00) 8-K.Pickett pass short left to 88-P.Freiermuth for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers XP (+1) — Q3 18:56 · LV 15 · Score 23-7
   9-C.Boswell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Kuntz, Holder-6-P.Harvin.
10. Las Vegas Raiders TD (+6) — Q4 5:44 · PIT 1 · Score 23-13
    (5:44) (Shotgun) 10-J.Garoppolo pass short left to 17-D.Adams for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
11. Las Vegas Raiders Safety (+2) — Q4 5:41 · PIT 1 · Score 23-15
    TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. 10-J.Garoppolo pass to 87-M.Mayer is complete. ATTEMPT SUCCEEDS.
12. Las Vegas Raiders FG (+3) — Q4 2:25 · PIT 8 · Score 23-18
    (2:25) 2-D.Carlson 26 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-50-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-A.Cole.