Takeaways: Steelers shocked in 25-10 loss to Chargers

Steelers didn’t get running game established until late

The Chargers entered the game knowing the narrative was that the team that won in the trenches would likely come out on top; the Steelers had the same idea. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh couldn’t exploit many weaknesses up front to get their run game established until late in the game.

Running back Jaylen Warren carried the ball 14 times for 70 yards. Surprisingly, Kenneth Gainwell got zero touches and rookie Kaleb Johnson got 2 for just 3 yards. Warren broke a beautiful run in the third quarter for a 14 gard gain as he hurdled Chargers corner Cam Hart.

Overall, not having a complimentary offensive performance doomed Pittsburgh as Los Angeles found ways to weaken the early-game prowess of the Steelers defense.

Defensive backfield getting thinner and thinner

The Steelers have real concerns in their defensive backfield. In this game, Jalen Ramsey played back in a safety role that didn’t fit his type of play in order to get Kyle Dugger closer to the line. When Darius Slay was once again forced from the game (concussion), Pittsburgh rotated in James Pierre.

The backfield have become a carousel of personnel and injuries, a lack of cohesion built off players being used to playing with each other, and the need to cover depth issues has caused the Steelers to slip farther in NFL rankings in pass coverage; they’re now a real liability.

The late Justin Herbert to Ladd McConkey touchdown play was an illustration of coverage (a miss by Brandin Echols) not being adequate to stop the catch and run. That wasn’t the only time the Steelers were exposed.

As much as fans want a wide receiver to pair with Metcalf, the Steelers need to find a defensive back that fits their scheme and can stay healthy while making big plays.

The positives from this game

After a big loss, it’s easy to focus solely on errors and poor decisions like the muffed punt by Ke’Shawn Williams or the two Rodgers interceptions.

In this game, the Steelers didn’t reach the level they had against the Indianapolis Colts just one week ago, but they still had some positive moments.

Nick Herbig (1) started the sack attack in the second quarter and was followed by Keeanu Benton (1), T.J. Watt (1), and Alex Highsmith (2.0).

Cameron Heyward added pressure with a couple of balls batted down at the line of scrimmage which just helped force Herbert to feel less comfortable in the pocket. He was hit 9 times in addition to the 5 sacks he took.

Roman Wilson caught the Steelers’ lone touchdown in this game in the fourth quarter – just the second touchdown reception of his career.

The Steelers retain a small lead in the AFC North despite the big loss to the Chargers. To hold that lead, they have work to do to repair a lot of moving parts in a machine that isn’t looking so well-oiled after Week 10.