Coming off a long rest, the Pittsburgh Steelers get back on the field against the San Diego Chargers. The Steelers are still without Ben Roethlisberger, who is still nursing a knee injury, but have enough weapons—at least on offense—to stymie San Diego. The Chargers, on the other hand, will finally have Antonio Gates again. They will look to make it two in a row when they play their second-straight home game this coming Monday.
For more Week 5 game previews, you can also read our breakdown of Texans vs. Colts and Bears vs. Chiefs.
[sc:Football ]Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Diego Chargers Preview and Prediction
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
When: Monday, October 12, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Pittsburgh Steelers (+3) at San Diego Chargers (-3); total: 45.5 – see all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN/WatchESPN
Betting on the Pittsburgh Steelers
[sc:NFL240banner ]Michael Vick is no longer THAT Michael Vick. But of course, no one’s expecting Vick to churn out Ben Roethlisberger-esque numbers while he serves as the Steelers’ starting quarterback for the meantime.
Forced to start in lieu of the injured Roethlisberger, Vick passed for just 124 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-26 completion in a 23-20 loss against the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday. That was half of the Steelers’ season average of 248.0 passing yards per game.
Antonio Brown looked mortal in a Vick-run passing game in the Baltimore game, as the wideout only had 42 receiving yard on five catches and nine targets. Prior to Week 3, Brown had averaged 145.33 receiving yards per game.
San Diego could be a punishing team against the pass, as evidenced by its tenth-ranked pass defense that yields just 225.0 passing yards per game. With that said, don’t be surprised if the Steelers elect to go run-heavy again—just like in Week 4, when they had 167 rushing yards on 33 attempts.
Le’Veon Bell will undoubtedly be the top backfield option for Pittsburgh moving forward. Bell had 129 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries against Baltimore.
Kicker Josh Scobee, meanwhile, stuck a knife right in the heart of his NFL career against Baltimore, as he missed two late-game field goals that would’ve sealed the win for Pittsburgh. Scobee has since been cut, and he’ll be replaced by undrafted kicker Chris Boswell.
Pittsburgh is 3-0-1 in its last four road games.
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Betting on the San Diego Chargers
If Pittsburgh had a kicker as a goat in Week 4, then San Diego had one as its hero. With two seconds left in the game clock, rookie Josh Lambo converted a 34-yard field-goal attempt to break their tie against the Browns to give the Chargers a 30-27 victory on Sunday.
But enough of the kickers. The Chargers were clearly carried by Philip Rivers’ arm that threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns without a pick. Rivers picked apart Cleveland’s defense, as he spread out his passes to eight receivers, including his favorite, Keenan Allen. Allen had 72 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches out of seven targets against the Browns. Allen paces San Diego with 387 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
For Rivers to have the same success against Pittsburgh, the Chargers’ offensive line will have to step up. The Steelers rank fourth in the league with 14.0 sacks, including the five they hung on Joe Flacco of the Ravens on Thursday. On the flipside, the Chargers have allowed the seventh-most sacks with 12.0 thus far this season.
Better protection for Rivers would be very much welcome for Antonio Gates, who is set to return following a four-game suspension. The veteran tight end led the Chargers last season with 821 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
San Diego’s extreme reliance on Rivers and the passing game (309.0 yards per game, second in NFL) is partly brought about by an unspectacular backfield that averages just 102.0 yards per contest. The Steelers, however, are just 18th against the run, so Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead can’t just assume fewer touches next Monday.
Writer’s Prediction
Pittsburgh wins, 25-21.
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