The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) and the Los Angeles Chargers (6-3) clash this week on Sunday Night Football. Ahead of the big matchup between top AFC squads, I chatted with Michael Peterson, the producer
of SB Nation’s Chargers website Bolts from the Blue, the figure out what the Steelers can expect from LA in Week 1o.
You can read my questions and his answers below:
1. The big news for the Chargers this week, of course, is tackle Joe Alt being out for the season. How big of a blow is this for the LA offense?
The loss of Joe Alt for the season cannot be understated. He’s the biggest reason they were able to start the season 3-0 with all wins coming in the AFC West and the sole protector of quarterback Justin Herbert. When he’s not on the field, Herbert is the most abused and beat up quarterback in the NFL. As of Week 10, he’s been the most pressured quarterback this season and he’s on pace to be hit more than Andrew Luck was during his first six seasons (and that was a whole lot of hits). Without him, you’re looking at a bunch of underwhelming backups left to keep him on his feet.
Without Alt, the offensive line does not have a dominant side. They cannot protect Herbert at a consistent clip against opposing stunts and twists. It’s really, really tough to watch. Every chance of the Chargers being a contender this year have been dashed before the halfway point of the season ever got here.
2. Justin Herbert has a reputation around the NFL as being a quarterback who’s managed to play well without a great supporting cast for much of his career. Has LA done a better job helping him out this season?
The cast around Herbert was the best it has ever been entering training camp… until things came crashing down fairly quickly.
After never missing a game in his four-year NFL career up to that point, Najee Harris was a victim of a fireworks accident that took a lot of time from him through the month of August. Then, just three games into the season, he tore his Achilles in a non-contact injury.
Star left tackle Rashawn Slater tore his patellar tendon just days after signing the largest contract for an offensive lineman in NFL history. Both those preceded the pair of ankle injuries to Alt that shut him down for the year, as well.
To a lesser degree, Mekhi Becton — whom the Chargers signed as their lone improvement to the interior of the line — has been in and out of the lineup with a myriad of injuries.
It’s been a real cluster for the Chargers offense this year and things aren’t going to get much better until Omarion Hampton returns from IR, but that’s not until after the team’s Week 12 bye.
Until then, Herbert still has his receiver room and budding star tight end Oronde Gadsden II to help shoulder the load.
3. Jesse Minter is one of the more respected defensive coordinators league-wide. What makes his scheme so successful?
I don’t think Jesse Minter has re-invented the wheel by any means, but he has shown over the first 1.5 seasons with the Chargers that he has the ability to get more out of players than others may have seen inside them.
Da’Shawn Hand was a castoff of multiple teams but was playing as the Chargers’ best interior defender until he got hurt.
Minter has turned two fifth-round picks at cornerback (Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart) into two immediate starters and impact players. You can also add in safeties Elijah Molden (was traded for via a seventh-round pick) and Tony Jefferson (previously retired) as two guys who have seen some of their best days under Minter.
The list goes on and on. The scheme itself is not overly-complicated either. Minter knows when to be aggressive and he knows when the moment is right for a proper curveball. As long as his players make opposing offenses earn every single yard on every single play, he’ll continue to be in the running for a head coach gig in the near future.
4. Who are two under-the-radar Chargers, one each on offense and defense, who could play a big role in Sunday’s game?
Offense: I have to go with rookie wide receiver Tre’ Harris. While his receiving stats are almost negligible at this point in the season, it’s specifically his ability as a run blocker and a clutch catch-maker that have come to separate himself in a crowded position group. The Chargers like to insert him into the B gap and even pull him across the formation to help kick out linebackers and defensive backs near the line of scrimmage. Against the Titans this past Sunday, Harris made a grab short of the sticks on the final time-killing drive and used a magnificent second effort to fall backwards on top of a defender to move the chains and help ice the win.
Defense: Rookie defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell. He’s been more about splash plays over a consistent, even-keeled performance each week but those times where he pops as both a run defender and pass rusher sure seem to stand out. He’s got great explosiveness or his size and figures to be a key part of this interior defense in the years to come if he continues to develop at his current pace.
5. FanDuel currently has the Chargers as 2.5-point favorites at home this week against the Steelers. What’s your final score prediction, and why?
I personally do not feel great about the Chargers’ chances in this game following the loss of Joe Alt for the season. The Steelers defense looked a lot better against the Colts and that is a bad sign for an offense that’s going to have a line strung together by a string and some bubble gum. If the Bolts can somehow keep Justin Herbert cleaner than usual, this will be a competitive and fun game to watch. If not, it’ll be a drag for fans of LA.
In the end, I see the Steelers winning a close one 27-24.
