NFL Preview: Raiders at Steelers

Oakland Raiders (5-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)

Raiders Notes:

— Big DT John Henderson, who was signed as a free-agent this offseason from Jacksonville, was on the field Wednesday for the first time since the St. Louis game back in mid-September. It had been two months since Henderson had practiced due to a stress fracture in his right foot.

— Coach Tom Cable has his troops studying quite a bit of tape from last year’s shocking 27-24 win in Pittsburgh last season. Cable’s reasoning? The Steelers are a near-identical team this year (as identical as you can be in the salary cap era, that is) and utilize a lot of the same exotic blitz packages and formations.

Steelers Notes:

— This will be Pittsburgh’s first game without K Jeff Reed, who was cut midweek after missing a 26-yard chippie Sunday night against New England. While Reed has been erratic this year and something of an off-field distraction throughout his Steeler career, he understood how to kick on the Heinz Field turf, a notoriously tough surface for kickers. His replacement, Shaun Siusham, has never kicked at Heinz.

— Looks as though Steelers WR Hines Ward will be made available for Sunday’s game. Ward suffered a concussion during the first quarter of the New England game and missed the rest of the contest,  but passed all the requisite concussion tests and actually practiced in pads on Wednesday.

Seattle Seahawks (5-4) at New Orleans Saints (6-3)

Seahawks Notes:

— Some good news up front as it appears rookie LT Russell Okung is ready to hit the playing field for the first time in a month. When Okung is healthy, his impact on the offense is truly noticeable: The Seahawks had their best two-game stretch of the season running the ball with Okung in the fold, rushing for a total of 111 yards at Chicago and 144 yards at home the next week against Arizona.

–While the offensive line might be getting healthy, Seattle’s defensive line is still struggling. It appears DT Colin Cole will miss his third straight game with a high ankle sprain, a big loss for the ‘Hawks considering DT Red Bryant is already out for the year.

Saints Notes:

— The big news for the Saints is the return of RB Reggie Bush. His big-play ability should spark a mediocre ground game that’s averaging just 97 yards per contest this season. The Saints are still waiting on whether or not their other injured RB, Pierre Thomas, will be able to return. He failed to participate in team drills this week and appears to still be struggling with a sprained left ankle.

— Look for Drew Brees to exploit a Seattle pass defense that ranks 28th in the league (272.2 yards allowed per game). Bush will add another receiving dimension out of the backfield and the steadily impressive play of WR Lance Moore has been a revelation for Brees this year. Moore leads the team in receiving TDs (5) and is second in yards and receptions.