Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Chargers Odds & Game Pick (2021)
Sunday Night Football returns to Los Angeles as a pair of ~.500 teams will take the field Sunday night at SoFi Stadium. The visiting Steelers find themselves dealing with the potential absence of their two most valuable weapons, as Ben Roethlisberger remains on the COVID list and TJ Watt remains questionable with a hip injury.
Let’s take a look at how things are shaping up as the week continues on.
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Details
- Opening Line: Chargers -3.5, O/U 48.5
- Current Line: Chargers -6, O/U 47
- Last meeting: October 13, 2019, Steelers 24, Chargers 17
Overview
In what could only be described as a game that neither team wanted to win, the Lions and Steelers played in miserable conditions in Pittsburgh last week to a miserable conclusion; a 16-16 tie in a dud of a game. In the absence of Roethlisberger, backup Mason Rudolph completed 60% of his passes while throwing for 242 yards and a touchdown to interception ratio of 1:1.
With Watt ailing and sidelined, the Steelers did allow 229 yards on the ground, raising their previous average to now allowing 123 yards per game.
After a 4-1 start that had QB Justin Herbert and his team receiving heaps of praise from pundits across the league, the team has promptly lost 3 of 4 and are now struggling to stay above .500 as the halfway point of the season has come and gone. The last time we saw them on the field was another poor performance, as Herbert completed just over 60% of his passes while throwing for 195 yards (1:1) on the day.
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Trends
- Under is 5-1 in Steeler’s L6 after an ATS loss
- Under is 4-1 in Steeler’s L5 vs. AFC opponents
- Chargers’ 4-1 ATS in L5 following an ATS loss
Bottom Line
While Watt gets many of the headlines, this Steelers’ secondary has quietly been one of the best in the league. Through nine games, the unit is allowing just 225.9 yards per game to rank them #9 in the league. Not only do I expect them to take advantage of a QB in Herbert who has yet to see them yet in his career, I expect Matt Canada’s game plan specifically designed for Rudolph this week to help the mediocre QB look much better than he did last week in Pittsburgh.
I’m taking the points with the Steelers on the road in this one.
Pick: Steelers +6
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