The Pittsburgh Steelers won their home opener in a battle of unbeaten teams against the Los Angeles Chargers at Acrisure Stadium, with an impressive defensive effort and strong second-half offensive performance leading the Steelers to a 20-10 win to move to 3-0.
It was an ugly start to the game for both teams, with each of their opening drives ending with a three-and-out. Los Angeles opened up the scoring on their third drive of the game, as QB Justin Herbert hit WR Quentin Johnston for a 27-yard touchdown on a busted coverage from Pittsburgh’s secondary. Los Angeles was also aided by a 13-yard completion to WR Ladd McConkey and a 13-yard run by RB J.K. Dobbins on the drive.
The Steelers were able to answer, though, as Justin Fields ran in a 5-yard touchdown on Pittsburgh’s third drive of the game. A 20-yard reception by WR Scotty Miller was the catalyst for the drive, as Miller was able to get some nice yards after the catch. Fields also went 8-of-8 for 60 yards on the drive as Pittsburgh seamlessly moved the ball downfield. Chris Boswell’s extra point tied things up at 7-7 with 10:17 left in the first half.
Johnston and Dobbins came through for the Chargers again on their next drive, as Dobbins had an impressive 6-yard run for a first down, then Herbert and Johnston connected for a gain of 17 to move the chains again. Los Angeles moved the ball down to the Pittsburgh 12 on an 8-yard run by WR Derius Davis. But the Steelers defense was able to bend and not break, holding the Chargers to a field goal, as K Cameron Dicker made a 28-yard try to give Los Angeles a 10-7 lead with 3:13 left in the half.
The Steelers were able to drive down the field at the end of the half, but K Chris Boswell missed a 62-yard field goal with one second left in the half, and the Chargers entered the halftime locker room with a 10-7 lead.
Pittsburgh tied things up on their opening drive of the second half, as Boswell connected on a 38-yard field goal with 9:05 left in the third quarter. Fields had a nice connection with WR Calvin Austin III on a 3rd-and-15 to pick up 25 yards and move the Steelers to the Chargers’ 17-yard line, while Miller had an 11-yard reception that had an extra 15 yards tacked on after a facemask penalty.
Los Angeles had another three-and-out on their next drive, aided by a second-down strip sack by OLB Nick Herbig, replacing the injured Alex Highsmith. The Chargers recovered, but couldn’t complete their 3rd-and-15 pass attempt. The Steelers would then take over at Los Angeles’ 41-yard line after the punt and a penalty by Los Angeles. But Pittsburgh wouldn’t capitalize, as on first down, Fields was intercepted by former Steelers OLB Bud Dupree, and the Chargers regained possession at their own 34. It was Pittsburgh’s first turnover of the season.
QB Justin Herbert, who entered the day with a questionable designation with an ankle injury, left the game on the next drive two plays after being sacked by Elandon Roberts, and QB Taylor Heinicke replaced him. It was a three-and-out for the Chargers, and Herbert was seen getting medical treatment on the bench.
The Steelers were able to move into Chargers’ territory with a 15-yard completion to TE Pat Freiermuth that was aided by an unnecessary roughness penalty against S Derwin James, and on third down, the Steelers picked up a first down thanks to a roughing the passer penalty against OLB Khalil Mack, which gave the Steelers a first down at the Los Angeles 26. They would settle for a field goal on the drive with a third-down pass to Pickens in the end zone incomplete, and Boswell gave the Steelers their first lead of the game at 13-10 on a 30-yard field goal with 14:14 left to play.
A T.J. Watt sack ended the Chargers’ ensuing drive, and the Steelers extended their lead to 20-10 on a 55-yard catch-and-run on a throw from Fields to WR Calvin Austin III. It made it 13 unanswered points for the Steelers, who went up by two scores with 7:02 left in the game.
Another three-and-out by the Chargers gave the Steelers the ball back, and they were able to chew some clock with a 14-yard run by RB Cordarelle Patterson and an 11-yard run by RB Najee Harris. Patterson also chipped in a 12-yard run two plays before the two-minute warning, and with a 10-point lead coming out of the break, the Steelers had the ball on the Los Angeles 22. A first down run by Najee Harris sealed the win, with the Steelers moving to 3-0.
While Pittsburgh’s offense struggled in the second-half last week, they were able to efficiently move the ball this week and got their run game going. Pittsburgh is 3-0 heading into a Week 4 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. The Chargers move to 2-1, and will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4.
