Raiders Pose No Problem for Steelers

A week after labeling the Oakland Raiders the dumbest-playing team in the NFL, Coach Bill Callahan offered little criticism following their latest loss.

Maybe he’s running out of things to say about a team that is fast becoming one of the league’s worst.

The Raiders’ collapse a season after playing in the Super Bowl reached new depths Sunday as Antwaan Randle El’s playmaking led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 27-7 victory in a matchup of disappointing teams.

“In the middle of the third quarter, maybe they gave up,” receiver Hines Ward said. “They were ready to go home. It was cold [30 degrees] and they had a long flight home and they’ve had problems with their coach.”

Maybe because his much-repeated quote about the Raiders’ mistake-filled play in a 22-8 loss to Denver alienated numerous players, Callahan kept his postgame news conference short.

“We just didn’t get it done,” Callahan said.

Oakland’s 3-10 record is its worst since joining the NFL in 1970 and is rivaled in team history only by its seasons of 2-12 in 1961 and 1-13 in 1962. The Raiders are 0-7 on the road and have only 21 touchdowns in 13 games.

The Steelers (5-8) had lost seven of nine, but outgained Oakland, 399 yards to 161, with Jerome Bettis moving past Thurman Thomas into ninth place in career rushing with 106 yards.

Bettis has 12,116 yards and needs five more to pass former Steeler star Franco Harris and move into eighth place. Harris would remain Pittsburgh’s leader, because Bettis had 3,091 yards with the Rams.

Randle El, the elusive receiver and kick returner who set NCAA records at Indiana for his versatility, enjoyed the best game of his two-season NFL career. He set up three scores with catches of 24 and 15 yards and a 51-yard punt return, and had a 26-yard punt return and an 18-yard run.