This week we’re joined by Ryland Bickley of our Pittsburgh Steelers sister site, Behind The Steel Curtain, to help preview this week’s matchup with the Chargers.
A big shoutout to him for his help, and
let’s go ahead and jump on in!
1.) How has the Aaron Rodgers experience been thus far for the Steelers? Are fans behind him 100 percent? Are there skeptics in regards to how far he can take the team this season?
There were plenty of — understandably — skeptical fans when the season started, but Rodgers has met expectations and then some during his time with the Steelers. He still has plenty of arm talent and the football IQ of a future Hall of Famer.
One hundred percent might be a little optimistic, but for the most part, the Pittsburgh fanbase has embraced Rodgers. And the drama issues he was knocked for in Green Bay haven’t made any sort of appearance this year.
Of course, while Rodgers has looked like the quarterback the Jets wanted to get back in 2023, he still isn’t the version of himself that won multiple MVPs with the Packers. Beyond just some expected regression in his natural abilities (namely, mobility), Rodgers’ unwillingness to push the ball deep has been the biggest flaw in his game this season.
Some of it is just the structure of the Steelers offense. But Rodgers has looked uncomfortable in the pocket at times, even with good protection, rushing to the check down as one of his first reads. He’s tied for the fastest time to throw in the NFL season at 2.59 seconds in 2025.
I wouldn’t say there are many Steelers fans who see this team making it deep in the playoffs. But I also wouldn’t put Rodgers as one of the main reasons why that’s the case.
2.) From an outside perspective, the Steelers defense looks to be underperforming compared to recent seasons. Is that the truth or are the numbers not the whole story? What’s the overall vibe about the group entering Week 10?
It’s definitely the truth. Even those of us who follow this team closely were shocked at just how flat the defense — the highest-paid in the league, by the way — has looked for much this season.
To be fair, there have been some real bright spots: namely, the wins over the Browns and Colts. But the defense has flip-flopped back and forth from looking like a top-10 unit to the worst in the league over the first half of the season.
Obviously, the reasons why are complicated. But to put it in a nutshell, it comes down to a three-ish main themes: A). The Steelers are one of the least schematically complex defenses in the league, and they still have communication struggles. B). The team is paying a lot of money to older stars who are still good, but not quite as great as they used to be. C). When the pass rush can’t get home, the secondary struggles to succeed.
Against Indianapolis last week, Pittsburgh switched from its usual single-high safety tendencies to mixing in a lot of two-high. The result? They slowed down the Colts’ quick game and kept Daniel Jones in the pocket long enough to get five sacks and a whopping five defensive turnovers.
One of the things I noticed this week when scouting the Los Angeles offense was how long Justin Herbert likes to hold onto the football. That, along with LA’s patchwork O-line, bodes well for Pittsburgh, but it’s still hard to tell which Steeler defense we’ll see from week to week.
3.) If you were Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, how would you go about trying to attack the Steelers defense? What matchups and players would you attempt to exploit?
The Steelers rushing defense has tightened up as the season has gone on, but there are still some holes in the passing game.
Veteran cornerback Darius Slay has been a real weak spot in both coverage and run support. At age 34, it finally seems Father Time has caught up to the six-time Pro Bowler.
And at linebacker, Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are the embodiment of the up-and-down performance we’ve seen from the defense as a whole this year. Both are hyper-athletic for their position and they can keep up with tight ends, but their zone coverage feel has been rough at times. I think the deep crossers LA loves to scheme up could be an issue on Sunday.
4.) If you were Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, how would you be planning to stop Rodgers and the Steelers offense? Which players would you have to keep an eye on the most?
The Steelers offense is a weird one, but when it’s rolling, it’s strangely fun to watch.
It’s based on a run game that uses 300-plus-pound tight end Darnell Washington and a sixth offensive lineman to bully the line of scrimmage.
Washington is the player to watch. He’s the rare tight end who can hold up against defensive ends one-on-one as a blocker, and he’s taken strides as a receiver this season.
Even the passing game is an extension of the run game outside of the occasional shot to D.K. Metcalf, with Rodgers distributing quick passes to his stable of tight ends and running backs.
If Minter can stop the run game and get Pittsburgh behind the sticks, Rodgers and co. will have a tough time getting the chunk gains needed to catch up. This is a team that loves passing behind the first down marker even on must-have third downs.
5.) Go ahead and give us a few lines on how you see this game shaking out and make sure to top it all off with a final score prediction.
This Steelers season has been a tough one to predict, but it does feel like Pittsburgh matches up well against the Chargers for the most part. Still, Justin Herbert, even with his weakened supporting cast, won’t be an easy out. This game could go in either direction, but I’ll say Pittsburgh wins 27-24.
