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INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Los Angeles Chargers earned their fourth victory in the last five games with a 25-10 home victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, improving to 7-3 on the season.
The Chargers kept pace with the Denver Broncos (8-2) in the AFC West race with the victory, while the Steelers dropped to 5-4 on the year. Pittsburgh looked awful on offense and has lost three of its last four games.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Justin Herbert is still taking shots at an alarming rate
Playing behind a makeshift offensive line without Pro Bowl tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, Herbert continues to take a beating in the pocket. He was sacked three times and hit nine times by an aggressive Pittsburgh defensive front.
On the season, Herbert has been sacked 33 times and pressured a league-high 175 times. Even though he was under siege most of the game against the Steelers, he still managed to do enough offensively for the Chargers to secure the win. Herbert threw for 213 yards and a touchdown. His favorite target was Ladd McConkey, who finished with four catches for 107 yards and a score.
More importantly, Herbert did not turn the ball over for the first time in four games.
2. The Chargers made Aaron Rodgers uncomfortable
While Herbert kept the ball out of harm’s way, the same cannot be said for Rodgers.
A week after leading Pittsburgh to a victory against one of the best teams in the NFL – Indianapolis Colts – Rodgers struggled on the road against the Chargers. Rodgers was sacked for a safety by Khalil Mack early on and intercepted by safety R.J. Mickens, the rookie’s second career interception.
Rodgers looked like a 41-year-old quarterback on Sunday, turning his back on pressure to avoid big hits from the pass rush. Rodgers completed just 16-of-31 passes for 161 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions for a 50.6 passer rating – his worst game statistically this season – while being sacked three times.
Rodgers didn’t have much help, as his receivers had a handful of drops that would have kept the chains moving or put Pittsburgh in scoring position. Ultimately, Pittsburgh’s 10 points were the team’s lowest output all season.
3. Keenan Allen becomes the Chargers’ all-time receptions leader
For a franchise that includes Hall of Famers like Lance Alworth, Charlie Joiner, Kellen Winslow, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates, it’s impressive that Allen took over the franchise record for receptions in his team’s victory over the Steelers.
Allen finished with two receptions for 19 yards, giving him 956 for his career, one more than Gates (955). The 33-year-old Allen was a late addition just before the season started, returning to the Chargers after spending one season with the Chicago Bears. And he’s been productive, totaling 52 receptions for 539 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
4. Kimani Vidal emerges as workhorse back for Bolts
Earlier this season, the Chargers were searching for an answer at running back without their top two options in Najee Harris and rookie Omarion Hampton. While Harris is done for the year and Hampton is expected back at some point, Vidal has taken over and done a nice job by giving the offense a nice balance for Herbert with a strong ground attack.
Vidal finished with 95 rushing yards and a score on 25 carries. Vidal has rushed for over 100 yards twice this year and is averaging 4.7 yards per contest.
4 ½. What’s next?
The Steelers had a commanding lead early but now are just a game ahead of the streaking Ravens (4-5) in the race for the top spot in the AFC North. Pittsburgh will face another dynamic offense in the Cincinnati Bengals (3-6) next week, followed by the Chicago Bears (6-3) and the Buffalo Bills (6-3).
The Bolts have a chance to go into their Week 12 bye at 8-3 on the year. Los Angeles faces the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road next week. Up 19 points in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars lost a tough one on the road to their AFC South rivals, the Houston Texans, 36-29. The Bolts are 3-0 in the AFC West.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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