They haven’t been the most exciting affairs, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have managed to start the season 2-0. They’ll look to go a perfect three-for-three this Sunday when they take the field at Acrisure Stadium for the first time this season, hosting the Los Angeles Chargers.
Every week, 10 NFL Network analysts predict the score and the winner of each game on the league’s weekly slate. Despite the Chargers sporting a 2-0 record of their own, eight of the 10 analysts predicted the Steelers to beat the Chargers.
Some of these score predictions are wild, but this game is set to be a scrappy, close matchup. The 9-8 prediction from Grant Gordon, as well as the 13-5 prediction from Adam Rank are both interesting, to say the least, but not necessarily out of the realm of possibility. If you’re wondering, both of those scores would be Scorigami.
While only two analysts are betting against the Steelers this week, the idea of being favorites isn’t new to the team. In the channel’s predictions for Pittsburgh’s Week 2 matchup against the Denver Broncos, seven of the 10 analysts chose Pittsburgh.
Like the Broncos game, this week’s showdown against Los Angeles should also come down to the wire. The Chargers, led by their new head coach Jim Harbaugh, clawed their way to a win against the Las Vegas Raiders in their season opener and proceeded to grind out another win on the road against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday.
Though the Chargers lost WRs Mike Williams and Keenan Allen this offseason, their offense has remained effective. Los Angeles relies on the run game much more than it has in previous years, with the goal of establishing the run being a typical staple of a Harbaugh-led team. They’ve been able to revive RB J.K. Dobbins early this year and have worked in an effective passing game off that.
This week’s matchup should be a fun one, but it looks to be suited more for old-school football fans. Justin Fields seems primed to start again in Week 3, and with him under center, Pittsburgh has focused on running the ball, while playing conservative through the air. With Justin Herbert, the Chargers should be more daring when it comes to passing the ball, but they’ll look to establish the run first.
Both teams are unbeaten, but barring a tie, only one of them will remain that way after Sunday’s game. For the Steelers’ sake, their fans will hope the team can prove those eight analysts right.
