LA Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT -1.5, 36)
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LA Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
John Harbaugh’s LA Chargers are leading the AFC West. Okay, they’re tied with the Chiefs, but so far, the Harbaugh experience is going exactly as we expected. Their 395 rushing yards over two games are the second most in the NFL, with JK Dobbins, of all people, leading the NFL with 266 yards on the ground. He has been incredible, completely over-exceeding any expectations anyone had for him after suffering the brutal injuries that he has. He is averaging 9.9 yards per carry, which is surely putting Harbaugh in dreamland.
This weekend’s clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers is going to be the team’s first real test though. So far, the Raiders and Panthers haven’t exactly been the toughest of opponents, and the Steelers are conceding just 76.5 yards on the ground per game, which is good enough for fourth-best in the NFL. This suggests we will have to see more of a pass-happy approach from LA. Thankfully, they have Justin Herbert to help with that, who just happens to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. It will be fascinating to see how he and his young passing attack get on in what could be a slightly more pass-focused game script.
One fascinating matchup to watch in the game will be Defensive Player of the Year candidate T.J. Watt going up against the Chargers' first-round rookie right tackle, Joe Alt. Alt has been brilliant so far, completely shutting down Jadeveon Clowney last week, but Watt is a different beast altogether. Can Alt buy Herbert enough time to find his young receivers?
Pittsburgh are another team that very much like to run the ball. Their 38.5 attempts per game on the ground are leading the NFL, but they will also be facing a stiffer test this week, with LA only giving up the 6th fewest yards on the ground per game, with 80.5. Justin Fields has been tidy in relief of the injured Russell Wilson, and with the team sitting at 2-0, he has probably done enough to win the starting job permanently. Arthur Smith has designed a perfect game plan for Fields, keeping things nice and easy for him, and making the most of his legs.
Justin has constantly been getting on roll-outs and designed runs, which is something that should continue this week to avoid the clutches of LA’s talented edge defenders, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.
This should be an intriguing clash between two teams that are looking to execute similar game plans. If both teams can establish the run, this could be one of the quickest games of the season. But with both having already been effective at stuffing the run through two weeks, this might be the first time we see Herbert and Fields have to do most of the heavy lifting. If that’s the case, I think it would be fair to side with the guy that’s earned a $262.5 million contract, in Herbert, rather than Fields, who is in his third start with his second team.
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