Los Angeles Chargers: Staff predictions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Los Angeles Chargers are off to a very disappointing 2-3 start and find themselves on primetime against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The start of the 2019 season for the Los Angeles Chargers has been a disaster. Not only has the team lost more games than expected but they have lost key portions of the team as well.

The Chargers have two losses under their belt that they really should not have: against the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos. Both games were riddled with mistakes and just one small change would give the Chargers the win in both of those games.

Heck, they were even leading at halftime against the Houston Texans and lost that game in Charger fashion as well. You could tweak one small thing about all three of the Chargers’ losses and they would be 5-0 right now.

That definitely hurts to think about but what hurts more is how banged up the team is. Ranging from Derwin James to Mike Pouncey, the Chargers have experienced so many injuries that it is mind-boggling.

The Chargers take on another team with bad injury luck in the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. While the Steelers have not had the same number of injuries as the Chargers, they are down to their third-string quarterback.

That certainly gives this game an interesting dynamic. Here is how the LA Sports Hub staff sees it playing out.

Jamaal Artis (6-2): 34-10, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have again been gifted a home game against a struggling team, but unlike last week, they better win or they can write off the season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers bring their 1-4 record to Los Angeles with their third-string quarterback. The Chargers have to beat them and they need to get their offense back on track after getting just 35 yards on the ground last game.

Hil Lopez (6-4): 24-17, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers face the Steelers in a home game on Sunday Night Football. Behind the 3-2 Raiders, and 4-1 Chiefs, the Chargers need this game desperately.

They have two losses at home and have a very tough schedule of opponents on the road coming up. Even with the return of Melvin Gordon last week, they could not defeat the Broncos after falling behind 14-0 early.

The Steelers will more than likely start their third-string quarterback Devlin Hodges after backup QB Mason Rudolph suffered a concussion last week because of a hard hit from Earl Thomas.
Additionally, running back Jaylen Samuels will be out a month due to a knee injury and star wideout Juju Smith-Schuster has been battling a nagging toe injury the last couple weeks.

Philip Rivers should rebound after a horrendous performance last week in which he completed 66% of his passes, but were small underneath throws. He should throw between 250 and 315 passing yards.

Additionally, given the fact that star corner Casey Hayward will be shadowing Juju Smith-Schuster, the Chargers defense will do enough to limit the Steelers scoring opportunities.

Redan Lopez (6-4): 31-20, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers are looking to bounce back after a painful loss to the divisional rival Broncos last week. They did not look good on both sides of the ball. Philip Rivers was terrible and the run game just simply ineffective. Thankfully, the Chargers caught a break with Chiefs losing to the Colts so they are still in striking distance for the division title, although it is very early.

Meanwhile, the Steelers are down to their third-stringer Devlin Hodges and hope that he can keep the team afloat after backup Mason Rudolph was knocked out of the game last week. It remains to be seen how effective he will be, but I think the Steelers will rely heavily on James Connor as long as they do not get too far behind in the game.

Look for a bounce-back effort from Rivers and Keenan Allen, after he was held only to four catches for 18 yards. Backup running back Austin Ekeler will continue to be a big part of the passing game, and Melvin Gordon should also have a great game of 100+ yards as he slowly adjusts to soaking up more snaps.

I simply do not trust Hodges to lead the Steelers to victory, especially with the Chargers upset with how they have played so far. They know they are better than their 2-3 record and will impose their will on a shaky Steelers defense.

Jason Reed (4-6): 35-17, Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers better win this game. If they don’t, then it is highly unlikely that they are going to be a playoff team in the AFC. Even right now, it is a tough road for the Chargers to get there.

There is yet another winnable game for the Chargers that should look more like their win over Miami and less like their loss against Denver. The offense should be humming and the defense should be able to slow down an inexperienced third-string quarterback.

But hey, it’s the Chargers. If any team is going to let a third-stinger win the first start of his career, it is the Chargers.