How the Chargers’ defense plans to counter the Steelers offense in Week 11

When the Pittsburgh Steelers play a team like the Los Angeles Chargers, an AFC West division team, there is not a lot of familiarity surrounding the matchup.

Sure, fans know the big name players from their opponent, but a lot can change from one year to the next.

With that said, I reached out to Bolts From the Blue contributor Michael Peterson and asked him a series of questions about the upcoming game. He was more than generous to provide answers to these questions, and in this article I asked him what the Chargers’ plan to counter the Steelers offense in Week 11 will be.

How will a defense with Joey Bosa try and stop the Steelers’ offense?

Check out his answer below, and be sure to follow Bolts From the Blue for the latest news and notes from the other side of the fence leading up to the game Sunday.

When the Steelers have the ball, how will the Chargers defense try to slow them down?

This defense will coax the Steelers into running the football with lighter boxes. Since running plays average less yards than passing plays. Brandon Staley wants his opponents to run the ball and lower their chances of moving down the field. However, that really hasn’t worked all that well this year. The front seven really needs to stiffen up if they ever want to bring Staley’s vision to life. On the back end, they’ll play a ton of Cover 2 which, again, makes opposing teams want to run the ball.

If there is a game where the Steelers should focus on the running game, it’s this one. Not only based on what the Chargers want to do, but also based on the fact Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a week with no practice after being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 List.

The Steelers will be without guard Kevin Dotson after he was placed on Injured Reserve (IR) due to a high ankle sprain. This will put either J.C. Hassenauer or B.J. Finney in at guard alongside Kendrick Green. Will this be a seamless transition, or will the line suffer without their road grader in the lineup?

If the Steelers can run the football, and keep Roethlisberger clean, they will have a chance to put up points against a very suspect Chargers defense.

How do you see this game shaking out? Let us know 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 upcoming Week 11 game.