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The Los Angeles Chargers will head east on Sunday night to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.
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The Chargers are quietly having a very good season, currently sitting at 8-3 with the top wildcard spot in the AFC and only a game behind Kansas City for the division. The Steelers are 7-3-1 and lead the AFC North and had won six in a row before last week’s upset in Denver. The Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting as -3 point favorites in this prime time match up.
Chargers Need Someone to Step Up on Offense
Los Angeles will be without star running back Melvin Gordon for the game against the Steelers. Gordon has been the hero for the Chargers, rushing for 849 yards, catching 49 passes, and amassing 11 total touchdowns on the season. Los Angeles has a very ready back up in Austin Ekeler, a guy many think could be the featured back for many NFL teams. Ekeler is rushing for 5.8 yards per carry and has caught 32 passes. Like many other aging quarterbacks, Phillip Rivers is going through somewhat of a renaissance year.
Rivers is completing 70% of his passes while throwing for 26 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. The Chargers have overall been one of the most balanced teams in the league, currently sitting in the top-10 in the league in points, points allowed, yards, pass yards, and rushing yards. The key for the Chargers will be their ability to put the ball in the end zone, especially without Melvin Gordon. Los Angeles will have to turn their drives into touchdowns against the high-powered Steelers offense. Field goals just will not get the job done in what is sure to be a playoff-like environment.
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Steelers Looking to Get Back on Track
Like the Chargers, Pittsburgh had a nice run of wins ended at the hands of the Broncos. The Steelers shot themselves in the foot by turning the ball over four times in Denver. Pittsburgh offense was as efficient as ever, finishing with over 500 yards, but they could not overcome the turnover issue. The Steelers are hoping that getting back home will help this issue but Pittsburgh has an overall -7 turnover differential on the season. This kind of stat will get you buy against the bottom feeders of the league, but if they turn the ball over against the Chargers, they could be in trouble. Pittsburgh also now finds itself with a challenger in the division as the Ravens have won two in a row on the legs of Lamar Jackson. How will the Steelers respond to the prime time screen with some pressure being felt?
Pick and Prediction
This is a very good game to be shown in the prime time spot. Many of the Central and Eastern fans do not get to see the Chargers, so this will be a good time for them to showcase their talent. In the end, I think that this one comes down to turnovers and Phillip Rivers, although having a very clean year, has a tendency to turn the ball over in key moments. Because of that, I think the Pittsburgh Steelers leave with the victory and cover. Steelers win 30-20.
