Both the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive identity center on running the football. That means this weekend both teams’ defensive lines should be prepared to bring their absolute best, and then some. Much has been said about T.J. Watt going up against Joe Alt, but the battles along the interior should be just as important. Former Steelers corner Bryant McFadden believes Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton are going to be key for Pittsburgh to improve to 3-0.
“Keeanu Benton and Cam Heyward, they have to be monsters,” McFadden said recently on Pushing the Pile. “They gotta be hell-raisers. The most important down, usually, in a football game is third down. But when you play against the Chargers, the most important down is first down. If you can win first down, now you’ve put them in a place they haven’t really been accustomed in being in two weeks of play.”
That’s a great point from McFadden. The Chargers have been running the ball extremely well, with J.K. Dobbins leading the league in rushing yards. Gus Edwards is also a formidable player who has given the Steelers fits in the past. If they get into second and short or third and short, they’ll be in their element. They’ll be totally comfortable.
If the Steelers can stop the Chargers from running at will on first down, they could force them to throw the ball more. That doesn’t seem to be how the Chargers want to play. That’s probably even more true this week with quarterback Justin Herbert dealing with an ankle injury. Putting the Chargers in a long down and distance could wreck their game plan.
Benton and Heyward, along with Larry Ogunjobi, will be tasked with achieving that goal. The Chargers have great offensive tackles, and the interior of their offensive line is stout as well. The Steelers will be their biggest test yet, and if Heyward and company can control the line of scrimmage, the Steelers could see a path to victory.
The Chargers will likely have the same game plan. This game could come down to which quarterback can make more plays. Justin Fields has been solid, but Herbert has been one of the NFL’s best. That ankle injury could be the equalizer, but the Steelers will have to stop the run before they can find out for sure.
