The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Qualcomm Stadium Monday night to face the San Diego Chargers. The Steelers are coming off a tough loss to the Baltimore Ravens and will look to get a crucial win against the Chargers. The Chargers will look to stay undefeated at home, as they have won both their home games this season.
Both the Steelers and Chargers will be desperate for a win tonight, as both teams are 2-2 this season. The Steelers will be without Ben Roethlisberger for a second straight game, and they will need a win to keep pace with division rivals the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers sit in second place in their division, but another loss could make it difficult for them to catch Cincinnati this season.
Quarterback Mike Vick will be making his second start for the Steelers and will look to the Steelers' top wide receiver Antonio Brown to make big plays. Brown has 34 receptions on the season for 478 yards with two touchdowns but struggled in his first start with Vick as the quarterback. Against the Ravens, Brown had 42 receiving yards with no touchdowns, and head coach Mike Tomlin likely hopes that with more than a week to get ready for this game the two will find a better rhythm.
Pittsburgh has arguably the best running back in the entire NFL in Le'Veon Bell, and the Steelers are likely to showcase him against San Diego. Since returning from suspension, Bell has rushed for 191 yards and has scored a touchdown in each game. Bell and the offense will try to win the time-of-possession battle, as the Chargers can put up points.
In both of the Chargers' home games this season they have scored 30 points or more, and quarterback Phillip Rivers will look to put some big numbers up Monday night. Rivers has thrown for 1,248 yards this season and has thrown eight touchdowns to four interceptions.
Tight end Antonio Gates returns from suspension, and his return gives San Diego's offense plenty of options. Between Gates, Ladarius Green and Keenan Allen, Rivers will look to find the open man throughout the night.
While San Diego has the options to throw the ball all over the field, it may look to get rookie running back Melvin Gordon plenty of touches. Gordon has rushed for 228 yards on the season but has yet to score an NFL touchdown. The Chargers also have running back Danny Woodhead, who may be one of the most versatile backs in the league.
Woodhead is 5-foot-8 and can almost hide behind offensive linemen before breaking out on runs. What makes Woodhead so versatile is that he can run the ball but is also a great pass catcher coming out of the backfield. This season Woodhead has 203 receiving yards and 144 rushing yards, showing he can produce in both the run and pass.
Both the Chargers and Steelers need a win to keep pace with undefeated teams in their divisions, and this game could have significant implications down the road. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. EDT, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Steelers radio broadcast, click here, and for the Chargers radio broadcast, go here.
