Los Angeles Chargers (2-0) at Pittsburgh (2-0)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
BetMGM NFL odds: Steelers by 2
Series record: Steelers lead 24-11.
Against the spread: Chargers 2-0, Steelers 2-0.
Last meeting: Chargers beat Steelers 41-37 on Nov. 21, 2021, in Los Angeles.
Last week: Chargers beat Panthers 26-3; Steelers beat Broncos 13-6.
Chargers offense: overall (12), rush (2), pass (28), scoring (11).
Chargers defense: overall (2), rush (6), pass (6), scoring (1).
Steelers offense: overall (30), rush (12), pass (30), scoring (26).
Steelers defense: overall (5), rush (4), pass (14), scoring (2).
Turnover differential: Chargers plus-2; Steelers plus-5.
Chargers player to watch
Running back J.K. Dobbins leads the league with 266 rushing yards. He is the first player since San Francisco’s Garrison Hearst in 1998 to have 130 rushing yards and a touchdown run in each of his team’s first two games. In three games against the Steelers while with the Baltimore Ravens, Dobbins rushed for 326 yards and is averaging 6.9 yards per carry. The going could be tougher against Pittsburgh, which is allowing just 3.7 yards per rush.
Steelers player to watch
WR George Pickens. The talented third-year pro has been a playmaker during Pittsburgh’s first two games even with the Steelers getting little-to-nothing from the players behind him on the depth chart. Pickens’ numbers last week (two catches for 29 yards) are deceiving. He had a 51-yard gain wiped out becuase of a holding penalty, a 6-yard TD pass called back becuase of offensive pass interference on Van Jefferson and drew a 37-yard defensive pass interference call against Denver star CB Patrick Surtain II.
Key matchup
Chargers rookie right offensive tackle Joe Alt vs. Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt: According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Alt has allowed four quarterback pressures on 51 pass-blocking snaps. The 7.8% pressure allowed rate is 12th lowest among right tackles with at least 30 pass snaps. Watt has lined up at left edge on nearly 93% of his snaps. He has six pressures, including two sacks, through two games, with all but one coming in one-on-one matchups.
Key injuries
Chargers: QB Justin Herbert (ankle) missed practice time this week, but is expected to make his first start at Acrisure Stadium. … WR Joshua Palmer (elbow/calf), CB Ja’Sir Taylor (fibula) and linebackers Junior Colson (hamstring) and Bud Dupree (illness) also missed practice. … OLB Joey Bosa (hip), S Alohi Gilman (knee), TE Hayden Hurst (ankle) and LB Khalil Mack (rest) were listed as limited but are likely to play. … Steelers: QB Russell Wilson (calf) will likely serve as the emergency quarterback for a third straight game, with Justin Fields again getting the nod in Wilson’s place. … G Isaac Seumalo (pectoral) is nearing a return but is also out for a third consecutive week. … Rookie WR Roman Wilson (ankle) could make his NFL debut. Wilson initially sustained the injury early in training camp. … Pittsburgh placed special teamers Ben Skowronek and Tyler Matakevich on injured reserve this week.
Series notes
The Steelers lead 24-11, but Chargers have won two of the past three, including 41-37 in a 2021 prime-time game in Southern California as Justin Herbert passed for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Pittsburgh has won four of the six games at Acrisure Stadium but dropped the past two. The Chargers trailed 23-7 in the first half in their prevoius trip to Pittsburgh in 2018 before rallying for a 33-30 victory.
Stats and stuff
The Chargers are 2-0 for the first time since 2012. They have not started the season with wins in their first three games since 2002. … Pittsburgh is 2-0 for the first time since 2020 with both of its wins coming on the road for the first time since 1999. … Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is 1-0 against the Steelers and 3-2 in his career against the AFC North, including Super Bowl 47 against Baltimore. … Los Angeles is averaging 197.5 rushing yards, which is second in the league. … Herbert has 27 games with a passer rating of at least 100 and multiple touchdown passes. All three of his TD passes have come on third down. … WR Quentin Johnston had his first game with two touchdowns last week. … Los Angeles’ defense is allowing a league-low 6.5 points per game and has forced opponents to go three-and-out on 10 of 24 possessions. The 41.7% rate is the highest in the AFC and second in the league. … LB Joey Bosa needs one sack to reach 70.0 for his career. … The Steelers are 51-37-3 in home openers but have dropped five of their past six. … Pittsburgh is one of three teams to not commit a turnover this season. … The Steelers are 2-0 in one-score games (eight points or fewer) and are 11-2 in one-score games since the start of the 2023 season. No other team has more than nine wins in one-score games in that span. … Pittsburgh’s defense has allowed one touchdown through two weeks for the first time since 2010. … Watt needs 1 1/2 sacks to reach 100 in his career. He is on pace to reach the 100-sack plateau in the second-fewest games since the sack became an official statistic in 1982. Sunday’s game will be the 107th start of Watt’s career. Hall of Famer Reggie White reached 100 sacks in 96 games. … Fields has been steady if not spectacular through two starts. He has yet to turn the ball over, a marked improvement from his time in Chicago when he had 41 giveaways (30 interceptions, 11 fumbles) in 40 games with the Bears.
Fantasy tip
In a game that figures to be low scoring, the kickers could be key. Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker has made 57 of 60 attempts in his young career. Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell is 8 for 8 on kicks this season and is the best long-range kicker in NFL history. Boswell has made 34-of-41 (82.9%) of his attempts from 50 yards or more, including 27 of his past 31.
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