Raiders 34, Steelers 31
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Sebastian Janikowski made a 43-yard field goal on the final play of the game, lifting the Oakland Raiders to a 34-31 victory Sunday over the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Oakland Coliseum.
The win was Raiders rookie coach Dennis Allen's first, and it gave the Raiders a 1-2 record.
The Raiders drove 49 yards in eight plays for Janikowski's game winner.
Raiders running back Darren McFadden rushed 18 times for 113 yards with a 64-yard touchdown run in the first half, the second-longest run of his career.
Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns with one interception and a passer rating of 104.2.
Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger was 36 of 49 for 384 yards and four touchdowns with a 123.2 rating. Wide receiver Mike Wallace caught eight passes for 123 yards with a touchdown.
Janikowski's 32-yard field goal pulled Oakland into a 31-31 tie with 6:30 left to play.
The Steelers faced fourth-and-1 from their 29, but instead of punting, they went for it. Isaac Redman blasted up the middle for six yards and a first down. But Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour sacked Roethlisberger on first down, and the Steelers wound up punting.
Oakland took over on its 25 with 1:43 left in the fourth. On third-and-10, Palmer hit tight end Brandon Myers for 15 yards. Then he found Derek Hagan for nine yards and Marcel Reece for seven and a first down at the Steelers' 44 with 33 seconds left.
On first down, Palmer hit Hagan over the middle for 17 yards to the Steelers' 26.
After building a 17-14 halftime lead, the Steelers took the opening kick in the second half and drove 80 yards in nine plays for a touchdown, Roethlisberger hitting Wallace on a 22-yard strike, putting Pittsburgh ahead 24-14. Roethlisberger scrambled left, scrambled right and hit a wide-open Wallace over the middle in the back of the end zone.
Pittsburgh went no-huddle on the drive -- and for most of the second half -- and Roethlisberger picked apart a depleted Raiders secondary. He hit Wallace for 22 yards early in the drive then followed with strikes of 19 and 12 to Antonio Brown.
The Raiders struck back for a touchdown, Palmer hitting tight end Richard Gordon for a one-yard score, capping a 48-yard drive and cutting Pittsburgh's lead to 24-21 with 6:35 left in the third.
Mike Goodson's 51-yard kick return put the Raiders in great field position for that drive. Then on first down, McFadden gained 16 yards around left end. Palmer's 12-yard pass to Denarius Moore gave the Raiders a first down at the Steelers' 19.
The Raiders gambled on the ensuing kickoff when Janikowski's on-side kick went out of bounds, and Pittsburgh took over at the Oakland 48. The Steelers quickly marched for a score. Roethlisberger hit Brown with a quick pass in the right flat. Brown was stripped by Raiders linebacker Philip Wheeler near the goal line, but he recovered his own fumble in the end zone, putting Pittsburgh ahead 31-21.
The Raiders, though, refused to quit. They marched 80 yards in 11 plays for a score, Palmer hitting Moore on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 12:13 left.
Earlier in the drive, Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was carted off the field after taking what appeared to be a helmet-to-jaw hit from Steelers safety Ryan Mundy. Heyward-Bey was knocked unconscious and later taken to Eden Medical Center in Oakland with a neck injury, according to the Raiders.
Heyward-Bey was being covered by cornerback Kennan Lewis as he ran a post route, from right to left. As Carson Palmer's pass arrived, Mundy delivered a huge hit on Heyward-Bey, who went down hard. Doctors and trainers secured him to a stretcher before placing him in a cart, as teammates gathered around him. As Heyward-Bey was carted off, fans gave him a loud ovation, and he raised his hand.
Notes: Former Raiders running back Marcus Allen, by team owner Mark Davis' request, lit the torch honoring the late Al Davis. Allen and Al Davis had a long-running rift. ... Cornerback Brandian Ross was on the active roster, four days after the Raiders signed him off the Packers' practice squad. ... Willie Smith made his first start as a Raider, replacing Khalif Barnes (groin) at right tackle. Barnes started three games last season at left tackle for the Washington Redskins. ... Raiders rookie offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom, a third-round draft pick from Utah, was on the active roster for the first time this season. ... Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, still recovering from ACL surgery, practiced this week but was not active. The Steelers have a Week 4 bye, giving him more time to rehab and prepare for live action. Running back Isaac Redman made his third straight start. ... Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu (calf) and linebacker James Harrison (knee) were inactive.