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The honest truth is the Pittsburgh Steelers haven't won a game in the state of California since 2005. 10 years have passed since the Steelers defeated the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football, and the Steelers will attempt to break their Golden State curse by defeating the Chargers again on Monday Night Football in Week 5 NFL action.
The Steelers are a relatively healthy group heading into Week 5, but the return of Martavis Bryant might be put on hold as the second year wide out remains a question mark heading into Monday Night Football. Other than Bryant possibly being held out of the game Ben Roethlisberger is still out and on the mend after suffering a MCL sprain of his left knee in the team's Week 3 win over the St. Louis Rams.
On the defensive side of the ball the Steelers should get Ryan Shazier back in the lineup, and the last time fans saw No. 50 at ILB he was racking up 15 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. If he can duplicate such production it will go a long way towards the Steelers claiming their 3rd win of the season.
As for the Chargers, they are a unit suffering some serious injuries among their wide receiver corps, and along the offensive line. Phillip Rivers will have to put together a masterful performance to avoid a Steelers pass rush which has racked up 14 sacks through the first 4 weeks, ranking them 4th among all NFL teams.
This game could come down to splash plays, and the team which can rack up the most big plays will likely leave Week 5 victorious, while the other tea, will limp into Week 6 under .500.
Be sure to enter your prediction into the tool below. All scores and predictions will be tabulated and compared with Bolts from the Blue (SB Nation's Chargers website). Time for BTSC we have the more knowledgeable fan base.
As for our prediction, the Steelers offense, even one directed by Michael Vick poses a serious problem for a team which has been gashed on the ground in the Chargers. Expect the Steelers to try and grind out the game on the ground and get after Rivers early and often with Keith Butler dialing up blitzes from a variety of areas.
Jeff Hartman's Prediction (BTSC Editor):
Steelers: 28
Chargers: 20