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Steelers top Raiders, 32-13

LAS VEGAS - A trip to Las Vegas was just what the doctor ordered for the Steelers to end their two-game losing streak.

Najee Harris rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Boswell kicked four field goals as the Steelers snapped their two-game losing streak with an 32-13 victory here Sunday at Allegiant Stadium over the Raiders.

Harris, who had been bottled up during the Steelers' losses to the Colts and Cowboys that dropped his yards per carry average to just 3.3 yards per attempt, went over 100 yards in his first 12 carries, breaking off a number of long runs, none bigger than his 36-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that was his first score of the season. Quarterback Justin Fields also had a big day on the ground, rushing for two touchdowns as the Steelers had 183 yards on the ground.

Fields also completed 14 of 24 passes for 145 yards.

"I just thought it was a collective effort, not only the bigs but the perimeter people," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "And obviously Naj and everyone else. But I just thought anytime you have a run output like that it's not an individual, it is a collective."

Game action photos from the Steelers' Week 6 game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium

T.J. Watt forced a pair of fumbles for the Steelers (4-2), both of which were recovered by teammates, while Pittsburgh's defense limited the Raiders (2-4) to 57 yards on 19 carries. Patrick Queen had a season-high 13 tackles.

"I don't know what way to state it other than I'm not surprised by it but it doesn't make it any less amazing," Tomlin said of Watt. "If you've been around him during the course of his career here, you just know that he's going to seize those moments. He's going to rise up and be what we need him to be in some form or fashion."

Both teams scored on their opening possessions of the game, as the Steelers took the game's opening kickoff and drove to the Las Vegas 34 before settling for a 52-yard Boswell field goal.

The Raiders, however, answered with an impressive 10-play, 70-yard drive on which quarterback Aidan O'Connell completed all four of his passes for 45 yards and Alexander Mattison had 25 yards on six carries, including a three-yard TD run to cap it off to give Las Vegas a 7-3 lead.

"We just made little adjustments. Things happen. It's the NFL," said Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts. "Those guys are pros, too. We came to the sideline and we talked about it. We went back out and we did what we needed to do. It's about adjusting on the fly. It's the NFL. You think a team is going to come out and be the same every week? It's not going to happen. We did what we needed to do, talked about it and we moved forward with it."

Las Vegas, however, would go three-and-out on its next two possessions, while the Steelers continued to move the ball.

They added a 49-yard Boswell field goal to cut the lead to 7-6 in the second quarter after Fields missed three-straight passes after a 15-yard run by Harris to the Las Vegas 31.

The Steelers then took the lead late in the first half following a forced fumble by Watt, who punched the ball loose from running back Dylan Laub. The fumble was recovered by Keeanu Benton at the Las Vegas 30.

Fields was intercepted by Divine Deablo on third down, but Adam Butler was penalized for roughing Fields on the play, and the Steelers maintained control of the ball.

That would prove costly, as Fields scored on fourth down from the 3, scrambling around left end. The Steelers failed on a two-point conversion, but took a 12-7 lead to the half.

The Raiders got the ball to open the second half, but were forced to punt after picking up just one first down, their third since getting six on their opening possession. Jeremiah Moon, pressed into a starting role at outside linebacker due to injuries to both Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, broke through the Las Vegas line to block the punt, giving the Steelers possession at the 9.

On third-and-goal, Fields rolled to his right and threw back across the field to Pat Freiermuth for an apparent touchdown. But he was ruled to have been across the line of scrimmage and the Steelers settled for a 37-yard Boswell field goal and a 15-7 lead.

Harris then willed the Steelers into the end zone on their next possession, breaking off a 26-yard run to midfield and then scoring on a 36-yard run on which he went around left end and raced down the sideline before diving to get the ball over the goal line just before being forced out of bounds by a Raiders' defender.

"When drives aren't going well, you need someone to spark it," said Harris. "I always try to be that person to spark it."

Unfortunately for the Steelers, star rookie center Zach Frazier was injured during the drive when a defender fell into the back of his leg. He was replaced by Ryan McCollum.

Leading 22-7 following the Harris TD, his first of the season, the Steelers defense gave up the first sustained drive it had allowed since the opening possession.

But after a penalty for illegal man downfield negated a Raiders touchdown, Ameer Abdullah ran the ball on second-and-goal from the 11 to the 1. Replay showed Abdullah might have broken the plane of the goal before his knee touched down, but the Raiders hurriedly ran another play and Watt stripped Abdullah of the ball, with DeShon Elliott recovering it, turning Las Vegas away for a chance to cut the game to one score early in the fourth quarter.

Following a Steelers' punt, O'Connell was intercepted by Donte Jackson, his team-best third of the season. Jackson returned the interception to the Las Vegas 7, and one play later, Fields scored on a designed run to put the Steelers ahead, 29-7.

The Raiders scored on their next possession on a 9-yard TD pass from O'Connell to Kristian Wilkerson but their two-point conversion try failed and the Steelers led 29-13 with 4:54 remaining in the game.

Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered an onside kick attempt by the Raiders and Boswell kicked his final field goal to make it 32-13.

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