Two teams that have been in the thick of the playoff race all season long are finally squaring off in a Sunday Night Football game with huge seeding implications. Both the Los Angeles Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been quite as good defensively as their pedigree would suggest.
But they’ve found ways to win behind a creative offense. Coming off big victories over the AFC South, the two squads will be looking to stave off being dethroned by their divisional rivals in the coming weeks. However, they aren’t coming into the game at 100%. Here’s who’s on the injured list and who will be starting for the Chargers and the Steelers.
Inactive List for Chargers and Steelers
Los Angeles Chargers
- S Tony Jefferson
- CB Tarheeb Still
- OLB Kyle Kennard
- T Bobby Hart
- T Foster Sarell
- WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith
- TE Will Dissly
Pittsburgh Steelers
- WR Scotty Miller
- S Jabrill Peppers
- LB Cole Holcomb
- OL Isaac Seumalo
- DT Brodric Martin-Rhodes
- DL Logan Lee
Starters for Chargers vs. Steelers
Los Angeles Chargers
Offense:
- QB Justin Herbert
- RB Kimani Vidal
- WR Ladd McConkey
- WR Quentin Johnston
- TE Oronde Gadsden II
- FB Scott Matlock
- LT Trevor Penning
- LG Zion Johnson
- C Bradley Bozeman
- RG Mekhi Becton
- RT Trey Pipkins III
Defense:
- DE Justin Eboigbe
- DT Teair Tart
- NT Naquan Jones
- ROLB Odafe Oweh
- RILB Daiyan Henley
- LILB Denzel Perryman
- LOLB Khalil Mack
- LCB Donte Jackson
- FS Elijah Molden
- RCB Cam Hart
- SS Derwin James Jr.
Special Teams:
- PK Cameron Dicker
- P, H JK Scott
- PR, KR Derius Davis
- LS Josh Harris (Questionable)
The loss of Joe Alt is perhaps going to be the biggest blow for this offense. A porous offensive line has caused Justin Herbert problems all season long, and with Alt slated to miss an extended period of time, it could derail Los Angeles entirely.
Their best hope would be to limit the turnovers, especially against a Pittsburgh defense that forced six takeaways on the Indianapolis Colts last week, and play a clean game to victory.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Offense:
- QB Aaron Rodgers
- RB Jaylen Warren
- WR DK Metcalf
- WR Calvin Austin III
- FB Connor Heyward
- TE Jonnu Smith
- LT Broderick Jones
- LG Spencer Anderson
- C Zach Frazier
- RG Mason McCormick
- RT Troy Fautanu
Defense:
- DT Cameron Heyward
- NT Keeanu Benton
- DE Derrick Harmon
- LOLB T.J. Watt
- LILB Patrick Queen
- RILB Payton Wilson
- ROLB Alex Highsmith
- LCB Darius Slay
- SS Kyle Dugger
- FS Jalen Ramsey
- RCB Joey Porter Jr.
Special teams:
- PK Chris Boswell
- P, H Corliss Waitman
- PR Calvin Austin III
- KR Kenneth Gainwell
- LS Christian Kuntz
The focus for the Steelers has to be the defense. After ranking near the bottom of the league, they have shown signs of improvement, as they currently sit at 21st on PFSN’s Defense Impact.
However, their defensive success has largely been tied to forcing turnovers rather than consistently generating stops. Against a Chargers team that has been prone to throw interceptions, it could be another chance for the highest-paid defense in the NFL to take another step in the right direction.
