The Pittsburgh Steelers will have their first home game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, and in addition to a raucous Acrisure Stadium crowd, the Chargers are going to have to deal with Pittsburgh’s defense, which has allowed just one touchdown through two games so far. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said that the Steelers’ defense has been “outstanding” on tape.
“Outstanding. One of the best front sevens in football. And elite in the coverage area as well,” Harbaugh said via the Chargers’ YouTube channel.
He particularly praised Pittsburgh’s depth on their front seven.
“Talent and depth. If you just look at their depth, it would be starting on a lot of teams.”
He also singled out T.J. Watt for being “relentless” and his fit in Pittsburgh’s defense.
“He’s a relentless player. That’s the word that jumps out the most. But extremely talented, scheme that the Steelers have been playing since 1982. The real masters in the 3-4 defense, it’s been handed down from one generation to the other. As an edge player, T.J. Watt’s as good as they come.”
Watt has a sack in each of Pittsburgh’s first two games, and he’s going to be a big test for Los Angeles’ rookie right tackle in Joe Alt. Alt was the fifth overall pick this year, and did a good job against another premier edge rusher in Week 1 in Maxx Crosby, allowing zero pressures in 11 one-on-one reps against Crosby, per NFL Pro.
As a whole, the Chargers’ offensive line was ranked just outside the top ten at No. 11 by Pro Football Focus, and it should be a good test for Pittsburgh up front.
For Alt, Watt might be a bigger test than Crosby, but he’s shown his mettle against another premier rusher, so it could wind up being a good matchup to watch on Sunday. Aside from Watt, Pittsburgh has pieces all along the front seven, with Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi and Alex Highsmith off to strong starts this season, while Patrick Queen is familiar with his former teammates in J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards in the backfield.
Both Los Angeles and Pittsburgh are going to play similar styles of football, leaning on the ground game and their pass rush, as the Chargers boast Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa off the edge, and defense could wind up being the difference in this one. Both teams are going to want to play clean, turnover-free football, and whatever defense can make the bigger impact forcing shorter drives and turnovers might be the group to lead their team to a 3-0 start to the season.
