Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Bold predictions vs. Chargers, Week 6
By Samuel Teets
After a crushing overtime loss in Week 5, the Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the struggling Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.
The season could have gone one of two ways for the Pittsburgh Steelers last week against the Baltimore Ravens. If Pittsburgh won, the team would’ve been right back in the playoff race. However, Mason Rudolph got knocked out in the second half and JuJu Smith-Schuster fumbled the ball in overtime, setting Baltimore up for the game-winning field goal. The Steelers are now 1-4 and staring at a long, playoff devoid season.
That being said, the Pittsburgh faithful will always tune in and support the Steelers. After a rough start to the season, the Steelers now have two winnable games in a row. The team will face the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, but first Pittsburgh has to take on the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers are currently 2-3 and coming off of a loss to the winless Denver Broncos. Philip Rivers has not looked himself this season and Melvin Gordon is only beginning to work his way back into the lineup. If the Steelers are going to beat a playoff team from last season, this is their best chance.
3. Philip Rivers sacked six times
If nothing else, the Steelers will always be able to get after the quarterback. While Pittsburgh’s pass rush started the season slowly, the unit has ramped up production in recent weeks. The Steelers have 19 sacks this season and are currently third in the NFL in that category.
While they took a little while to get going, the Steelers have been staples in opponents’ backfields over the past two weeks. The Steelers got to Lamar Jackson five times last week. That’s an impressive feat considering the Ravens have a good offensive line and Jackson’s athleticism. In Week 4, Pittsburgh terrorized Andy Dalton, sacking the Cincinnati quarterback eight times.
Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt, who had one combined sack in the first three weeks, have hit their strides during the last two games. Watt has 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hits during that time. Likewise, Heyward has 3.5 sacks and five quarterback hits. Bud Dupree and Javon Hargrave both have a sack in each of the last two games as well. The pass rush should only get better as well, now that Vince Williams, who had a sack in Week 5, is fully back to health.
Hopefully, Pittsburgh’s pass rushers will carry the momentum they’ve built up over the past two weeks into their matchup against the Chargers.