NFL Expert Picks, Week 11: Some experts see the Steelers beating the Chargers

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers are slated to face off in Week 11 of the 2021 regular season, and there are a lot of narratives between these two teams. For the Chargers, they are wondering if Justin Herbert can right the ship and guide this team to the playoffs, while the Steelers are a team trying to forge a new identity as they hope to overcome both losses to injury and COVID-19 heading into this huge AFC showdown.

For those who follow the current betting lines, the Steelers opened as 3.5-point underdogs, and, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, that line has moved from 3.5-points to 5.5-points, largely due to injuries to players like T.J. Watt, and having both Ben Roethlisberger and Minkah Fitzpatrick on the Reserve/COVID-19 List at the time of this article being published.

(Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.)

At this point, it is time to check in and see who the pundits who call themselves experts like in this showdown in Pittsburgh this Monday night.

For those new to this article, there are two types of experts, when it comes to NFL picks. There are those who just pick the overall winner, and those who expound on their picks and give a reason for their prediction.

As for the former of the above types of experts, there are many sites who have their experts just plug in a winner and move on with their day. Of those sites, the majority of experts at Yahoo!, ESPN and FOX like the Chargers to win, but it isn’t unanimous. Several of these sites have a handful of experts who still believe the Steelers can pull off the upset.

As for the experts who actually put some thoughts, and explanation behind their picks, like Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, he likes the Steelers to pull off the upset on the road in L.A.

Ben Roethlisberger could be back for this one after the Steelers tied the Lions when he missed for COVID. The Chargers haven’t looked as crisp on offense for much of the past month, which will be a challenge against the Steelers defense. This will feel like a home game for the Steelers with all the Pittsburgh fans who will be there. It will play out like one, too. The Steelers win it in an upset if Roethlisberger is back. If not, all bets are off. I expect him back.

Pick: Steelers 23, Chargers 20

As for Bill Bender of The Sporting News, he likes the Chargers to do the job at home in prime time on Sunday night.

Ben Roethlisberger could return from the COVID-19 list, and they’ll need him after last week’s ugly tie against the winless Lions. The Chargers are 2-3 at home, and that includes losses against playoff contenders in the Cowboys, Patriots and Vikings. They need to win one here.

Pick: Chargers 26, Steelers 22

These are just a few sites who make weekly NFL picks. When you think about all those sites not listed above, this is when we turn to our friends at NFL Pick Watch, a site dedicated to tracking NFL expert picks by the week. They take all expert picks and put them into an easy-to-read graph for fans to enjoy. When it comes to the Steelers vs. Chargers game, 92% of NFL experts like the Chargers to hold serve and win on Sunday night.

What do you think about the upcoming game? Will the experts have it right? Or are they way off? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the Chargers in Week 11.