{"id":54186,"date":"2018-11-29T21:34:15","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T02:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=54186"},"modified":"2018-11-29T21:34:15","modified_gmt":"2018-11-30T02:34:15","slug":"los-angeles-chargers-passing-attack-critical-pittsburgh-steelers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/11\/29\/los-angeles-chargers-passing-attack-critical-pittsburgh-steelers\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Chargers Passing Attack Critical Against Pittsburgh Steelers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> (8-3) are coming off their best victory of the season \u2013 a 45-10 blowout over the Arizona Cardinals<\/a>. And while their previous game was an unexpected 23-22 loss to the Denver Broncos<\/a>, even that loss doesn\u2019t look as bad now that the Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> and pulled off a second straight victory over a good team. Now the schedule gets a little tougher down the stretch. First off comes a game against the previously mentioned Steelers (7-3-1) on Sunday Night Football \u2013 which will be a heck of a shootout. Philip Rivers<\/a><\/strong> and the passing attack are going to be key to winning this game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Los Angeles Chargers Passing Attack Key to Win Against Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

No Melvin Gordon Available\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

One of the few downsides to the big win on Sunday was that running back\u00a0Melvin Gordon<\/a><\/strong> got hurt in the process. He suffered an MCL sprain, and while the hope is that he\u2019ll be back before the end of the regular season, he\u00a0definitely won\u2019t\u00a0be available for this Steelers game. And not having your star running back available is not a good thing when you\u2019re going up against a fellow playoff contender.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, they do have Austin\u00a0Ekeler<\/strong>\u00a0available as their backup. That might sound like a pretty good deal. But he already played as the starting halfback earlier this season when Gordon was out before, and he only got 42 yards. Granted, this was against a pretty decent Tennessee Titans<\/a> running defense (97-yard Lamar Miller<\/a><\/strong> touchdown aside). Regardless, one\u00a0has to\u00a0wonder if the Chargers will use the running attack as much as they normally do.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rivers\u00a0Is on Fire\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Rivers is coming off one of the best performances by a quarterback in NFL history. This game saw him go 28-for-29 with 259 yards and three touchdown passes. Only one incomplete pass, and 25 straight completions \u2013 the record for the most consecutive completions in one game. And the Cardinals, for all their flaws,\u00a0actually have\u00a0a top 10 pass defense (in terms of yardage).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With that in mind, plus the fact that the team is going to be without their starting running back, it feels right now like the game script would call for more passing. Rivers is balling out right now. He now has 26 touchdowns passes and only six interceptions through 11 games, and his passer rating of 115.7 is still third in the league behind only Patrick Mahomes<\/a><\/strong> and Drew Brees<\/a><\/strong>. And his primary weapons in the passing game are healthy. Besides, in the process of having to outscore the opposition, they may not have much choice anyway…\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Can\u2019t Stop Them, Outscore Them\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Steelers have one of the very best offenses in the league. The Chargers will have to deal with Ben Roethlisberger<\/a><\/strong>, Antonio Brown<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0JuJu\u00a0Smith-Schuster<\/strong>, and James Conner<\/a><\/strong>. Chances are that even if the Chargers defense shows up playing some of their best football, they\u2019re still going to give up a few touchdowns (at least). The Steelers have been held below 20 points only twice this season. In order to keep up with them, the Chargers offense may need to have some aggressiveness of its own.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last Word\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Steelers are probably the third-best team the Chargers will have faced all year, aside from the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> and Los Angeles Rams<\/a> (whom they both already lost to). Admittedly, a loss here would not hurt their playoff standings at this point. However, a victory would still be a big statement for them in the AFC. For all anybody knows, the Chargers could face the Steelers in the playoffs again. These are games that they have to win if they intend to make it far into the playoffs. And this time, the Chargers may need to lean on Rivers and the passing attack a little more than usual\u00a0in order for\u00a0them to get that victory.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>