Oakland Raiders vs Pittsburgh Steelers: Rebuilt rivalry

Nov 8, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) catches a pass in front of Oakland Raiders cornerback David Amerson (29) during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Recievers

Another reason why the quarterbacks were able to shine is because of the receivers they threw to. The receiver position is also a big part of this rivalry as Lynn Swann and John Stallworth put major work in for the Steelers. The Raiders had Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnikoff with Tim Brown coming in about a decade after.

And Sunday, the Steelers had their Stallworth in Antonio Brown and their Swann in Martavis Bryant. The Raiders had Michael Crabtree as their Biletnikoff and Amari Cooper as their Brown. They all made their plays in the game at points with Crabtree and Bryant going over 100 yards for the game and Crabtree scoring two touchdowns.

But Brown single-handedly ripped the Raiders’ secondary apart like no receiver before with 284 yards receiving. Both teams exposed each other’s weak secondaries, something neither team is known for traditionally. Neither team ever really stopped each other’s explosive air attacks through the years consistently anyway.

Next: Running backs