By Tony Moss, NFL Editor

(Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Steelers have an apparent affinity for being boxed into a corner.

Bill Cowher's team was 7-5 and on life support heading into the final month of the 2005 season, and had to win four straight games just to make the postseason field as the AFC's sixth and final entry. The deck stacked against them in the playoffs, Pittsburgh promptly won four straight games (the first three on the road) against the top four teams in the postseason bracket.

The other team that made the Super Bowl during the Cowher era, the 1995 club, stood at 3-4 as the season neared its midway point.

In 2002, the Steelers rebounded from a 1-3 start to make the playoff field. In 1997, they dug out of a 1-2 hole to reach the postseason. In 1993, they were 0-2 before undergoing a renaissance.

Get the point?

As the Steelers head into Oakland this week to face the Raiders, even in the possible absence of starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (concussion), it is best not to start writing the team's epitaph just yet.

Without question however, it is time for the Steelers to get moving. Last week's 41-38 overtime loss in Atlanta dropped Cowher and company to 2-4, a full two games behind AFC North co-leaders Baltimore and Cincinnati. Pittsburgh has dropped four of five since its season-opening win over the Dolphins, and has suffered lapses on both offense and defense over that stretch. Adding insult to injury was the concussion sustained by Roethlisberger last week that could cause him to miss a start for the second time this season. Charlie Batch, who has played well in relief of "Big Ben" in 2006, would make his second start of the year if called upon.

In a scenario that would have seemed unthinkable about a month ago, the Steelers are just one game better than the Raiders as Week 8 begins. Oakland got its first win of Art Shell's latest tenure last week, downing the Cardinals, 22-9. Second-year-quarterback Andrew Walter recorded his first win as an NFL starter in that game, but also suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him late in the contest. Walter is expected to start for the Silver and Black this week.

SERIES HISTORY

The all-time series between the Steelers and Raiders is knotted, 8-8, with Pittsburgh evening the series by virtue of a 24-21 home victory in Week 1 of the 2004 season. Oakland last defeated Pittsburgh in 2002, claiming a 30-17 victory on the road. The Steelers won in their last trip to Oakland, in 1995, and have won two straight away games in the series. The Raiders' most recent home victory in the series came in Los Angeles in 1990, and they last beat the Steelers in Oakland in 1981.

The clubs have also split six postseason meetings, with the Steelers win in the "Immaculate Reception" AFC Divisional Playoff of 1972 ranking as the most notable. The franchises also met for the AFC Championship for three straight seasons, with Pittsburgh winning the 1974 and 1975 contests and Oakland prevailing in 1976. The most recent playoff matchup between the clubs was a 38-10 Raiders win in a 1983 AFC Divisional Playoff.

Cowher is 5-1 against the Raiders all-time. Oakland's Shell is 1-1 in his career against the Steelers, including 0-1 head-to-head with Cowher.

STEELERS OFFENSE VS. RAIDERS DEFENSE

The shame of the Roethlisberger injury is that it occurred as the third-year quarterback was in the midst of his best game of the season to date. Roethlisberger (1045 passing yards, 5 TD, 7 INT) had completed 16-of-22 passes for 238 yards with three touchdowns an no interceptions through two-plus quarters, allowing Steelers fans to forget about his no-TD, seven-INT stretch of games early in the season. Batch (410 passing yards, 5 TD, 0 INT), who carries a lusty 136.8 passer rating with him into Week 8, was 8-of-13 for 195 yards and two scores after taking the quarterbacking reins against Atlanta. Both quarterbacks frequently located wideout Hines Ward (26 receptions, 5 TD), who had a career day with eight catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns, and rookie Santonio Holmes (14 receptions) was also productive, with five receptions for 91 yards. Nate Washington (15 receptions, 3 TD) and tight end Heath Miller (12 receptions, 2 TD) scored touchdowns in the game. The Pittsburgh line has allowed a bloated 17 sacks on the year, including three last Sunday.

Among the encouraging signs in Oakland's Week 7 win was the work of a pass rush that had been mostly non-existent during the team's 0-5 start. Defensive end Derrick Burgess, who led the NFL with 16 sacks last season, posted his fourth and fifth sacks of the season in the contest, boosting the Raiders' team total for the year in that category to nine. Tackle Warren Sapp (16 tackles) is second on the team in sacks with two. The Raiders are No. 1 in the NFL in passing defense (140.5 yards per game), though that total has something to do with the fact that the Silver and Black have faced 24 fewer pass attempts than any other team. Still, Oakland has received a nice effort from players such as cornerback Tyrone Poole (8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT), who had a sack and an interception last week, as well as free safety Stuart Schweigert (39 tackles), who ranks second on the team in stops.

No matter who takes the snaps for the Steelers this week, the offensive directive will be to hand the ball early and often to running back Willie Parker (481 rushing yards, 5 TD, 11 receptions), as Pittsburgh is 0-3 when Parker fails to run for 100 yards in a game. True to form, Parker was held to 47 yards on 20 carries against Atlanta, and the Steelers fell. Verron Haynes (78 rushing yards, 16 receptions) and Najeh Davenport (77 rushing yards, 1 TD) will continue to spell Parker from time to time.

Though the Raiders rank 26th in the NFL against the run (132.5 yards per game), they have actually done a passable job versus opposing running backs, with the rank having much to do with the fact that opponents have run the ball almost exclusively in the second half of blowouts. Oakland is giving up 3.9 yards per carry, which ranks closer to the top of the league than the bottom, with tackles Terdell Sands (20 tackles) and Tommy Kelly (19 tackles), along with linebackers Kirk Morrison (46 tackles, 1 INT) and Thomas Howard (39 tackles), helping to stem the tide. The Raiders held Arizona's Edgerrin James to 34 yards on 13 carries last Sunday, thanks in large part to five tackles each from Morrison and Howard. Sands, meanwhile, posted the first interception of his career in the contest.

RAIDERS OFFENSE VS. STEELERS DEFENSE

Though Walter (874 passing yards, 3 TD, 8 INT) indeed comes off his first win as an NFL starter, it would be a stretch to argue that the second-year-pro is on the verge of leading the Raiders to consistent greatness. The Arizona State product carries a woeful 52.3 passer rating into Sunday's game, and thanks to the Raiders' swiss cheese-like offensive line, has been sacked 22 times in five games, including five times last week. Walter, who completed 17-of-30 passes for 263 yards with a touchdown and an interception, will try to keep progressing while throwing to wideouts Randy Moss (24 receptions, 3 TD) and Ronald Curry (13 receptions) along with tight end Courtney Anderson (11 receptions, 1 TD). Moss had seven catches for 129 yards and a touchdown last week, his first 100-yard game of the season, while Curry and Anderson had three receptions each. Jerry Porter, who is scheduled to return from a two- game suspension this week, is unlikely to be active.

Walter and the porous Oakland line couldn't catch a break this week, as flamboyant Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter (12 tackles, 2 sacks), who had missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, is probable to return to the lineup this week. However, fellow starting OLB Clark Haggans (31 tackles), who is nursing an ankle injury, could be on the shelf. Haggans and Larry Foote are tied for the Pittsburgh lead in sacks with three each. If Haggans fails to suit up, veteran and Steelers prodigal son Chad Brown (4 tackles, 1 sack) could be in line for more playing time. There could also be a change in the secondary, as it was reported earlier in the week that Cowher was considering replacing the struggling Deshea Townsend (20 tackles, 1 INT) with Bryant McFadden (15 tackles, 1 INT) at one of the corners. Townsend was part of a starting secondary that surrendered a career-high four touchdown passes to Atlanta's Michael Vick last Sunday. Elsewhere in the secondary, strong safety Troy Polamlu (41 tackles) logged his team-leading third interception of the season last week.

The Raiders' first win of the season came in the absence of running back LaMont Jordan (314 rushing yards, 1 TD), who was active but did not appear due to back problems. Jordan could miss his second straight game this week, meaning Justin Fargas (230 rushing yards) would be pressed into starting duty again. Fargas carried 23 times for 66 yards last Sunday. Elsewhere in the running game, fullback Zack Crockett broke off 44 yards on eight carries, and ReShard Lee scored his second career NFL touchdown on a one-yard plunge in the first quarter. Oakland ranks tied for 10th in the league in rushing offense (116 yards per game).

Whoever does the running for the Raiders will be going up against a Pittsburgh defense that ranks ninth in NFL rushing defense (94.2 yards per game) and limited the Falcons' Warrick Dunn to 69 yards on 26 carries last week. Inside linebacker James Farrior (42 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) had a big day for Pittsburgh, logging a team-high eight tackles and an interception in a losing effort. Farrior leads the Steelers in stops as Week 8 begins. Up front, ends Brett Keisel (20 tackles, 2 sacks) and Aaron Smith (17 tackles, 1 sack) combined for nine tackles against Atlanta.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Raiders won last week, but that doesn't mean they're hot. A team that looked to be devoid of emotion for its first five games circled the wagons last Sunday in an effort to avoid any prolonged talk of 0-16, but expecting the same type of performance this Sunday is foolhardy. The Steelers still have much to play for, are the more physical of the two teams, and also have an advantage in talent. Pittsburgh will dominate both lines of scrimmage, grab a big early lead, and make the Raiders look like the Raiders again.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Steelers 30, Raiders 0