Next opponent: Undefeated Chargers will give Steelers familiar test

The Steelers are off to a 2-0 start, becoming the 10th team since 2014 to start a season with two straight wins on the road. Now they come home to face the Chargers, who are off to a 2-0 start of their own. And, to better prepare for the Steelers, they opted to stay in the Eastern time zone and practice in Charlotte this week after beating the Panthers in Week 2.

Here's a snapshot of what Los Angeles brings into Week 3:

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Record: 2-0
Standing: First, AFC West
Last result: Won over Panthers, 26-3

THE TREND

Coming off a 5-12 record and last place finish in the AFC West, the Chargers did a near complete reset, beginning with a new head coach. Fresh off a national championship with Michigan, Jim Harbaugh was chosen to become the next head coach of the Chargers. It's Harbaugh's first job in the NFL since he was head coach of the 49ers in 2011-14.

Harbaugh brought in new faces at both offensive and defensive coordinator. On the defensive side of the ball, Harbaugh opted to bring Jesse Minter along with him from Michigan, who served as defensive coordinator under Harbaugh in Ann Arbor for the previous two seasons. Minter had also previously served under Harbaugh's brother, John Harbaugh, with the Ravens in three different assistant roles over four seasons. Harbaugh also brought in former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman to take over the offense.

The Chargers have gotten off to a great start in 2024, winning each of their first two games, granted against some weaker opponents. The Chargers defeated the Raiders in Week 1, 22-10, then made easy work of the Panthers in Week 2, 26-3. And, unsurprisingly, they've won these games on the strength of their running game and defense.

Through the first two weeks of the season, the Chargers rank second in the NFL with 197.5 rushing yards per game. They've also been wildly efficient on the ground, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. On defense, the Chargers rank second in the NFL in total defense (227.5 yards allowed per game), and rank sixth in both run defense (80.5 yards per game) and pass defense (147.0 yards per game). They also have the best mark in the NFL with only 13 total points allowed through the first two weeks. 

THE QUARTERBACK

Don't let the 5-12 record last year fool you. The Chargers can be a legitimate playoff contender in 2024, and one of the main reasons is because they have a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert. Even in what could be considered the worst season of his young career, Herbert still posted a 93.2 passer rating in 2023. He didn't forget how to play quarterback.

Now that Herbert has an established NFL offensive coordinator in Roman, he may be able to reach new levels. The Chargers are a run-first team, but that could actually make Herbert even more dangerous. Because of Herbert's ability, defenses are forced into a pick-your-poison situation: Either load the box to stop the run and risk Herbert picking you apart or lighten the box to keep Herbert from killing you through the air and become susceptible to giving up chunks on the ground.

Herbert isn't exactly lighting the world on fire through the air this season. But again, because of how the Chargers are running the ball, he doesn't have to. Through the first two games of the season, Herbert's completed 67.4% of his passes, thrown three touchdowns to one interception and averaged just 6.0 yards per attempt.

One way that's not working to thwart Herbert is blitzing him. Last year, Herbert ranked 15th in the NFL among passers with at least 100 dropbacks with a 92.1 passer rating when blitzed. That's a respectable number, but Herbert is markedly better against the blitz this year, posting a 131.0 passer rating on 17 dropbacks against the blitz. He's only been sacked once when teams have blitzed him, and all three of his touchdown passes have come against the blitz. He's able to make so many throws under pressure:

The biggest wildcard here is if Herbert actually plays. Herbert told reporters Friday that he's dealing with a high-ankle sprain suffered in their win over the Panthers and that the pain was "not great." He's officially questionable, leaving his status for the game in serious doubt given how early in the season it is and the nature of the injury. Should Herbert not be able to go, either Easton Stick or Taylor Heinicke will start in his place. Neither one poses nearly the same threat as Herbert.

THE OFFENSE

The Chargers' offense is at its absolute best when Herbert is on the field. But, make no mistake, this team can run the ball. And, considering who the offensive coordinator is, that shouldn't come as any surprise.

And, wouldn't you know it, Roman has two former Ravens in his backfield: J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Though the two have split the carries nearly right down the middle, Dobbins is the home run hitter to watch for. Heading into Sunday's matchup, Dobbins is the league's leading rusher with 266 yards on the ground, and he's done so on just 27 carries. That's 9.6 yards per carry. Edwards can pound the defense to death, but Dobbins can rattle off a gigantic run at any moment:

The other thing with Dobbins is he's previously ran really, really well against the Steelers. In three games against Pittsburgh, Dobbins has racked up 326 yards on 47 carries, an average of 6.9 yards per carry. Patrick Queen said this week he's looking forward to the challenge of facing his former Ravens teammate, but you can bet that both Dobbins and Roman know just how good he's been against the Steelers.

Dobbins and Edwards are running behind a really solid offensive line that's got some exciting, young pieces. Bradley Bozeman is a serviceable center, and the Chargers also have a nice pair of guards in Zion Johnson and Trey Pipkins III. But the pride of the line rests in two former first-round picks at tackle: Rashawn Slater on the left and rookie Joe Alt on the right. Both Slater and Alt are off to a phenomenal start this year, though the Steelers will undoubtedly be their toughest matchup to date.

The Chargers' pass catchers leave a bit to be desired. Quentin Johnston is their No. 1 guy. He's a solid receiver, but pales in comparison to some of the other No. 1 guys Joey Porter Jr. will shadow this season. Joshua Palmer is banged up and DJ Chark is on injured reserve, too. Rookie Ladd McConkey is a really shifty guy that can create problems in space and could very well lead the team in catches by season's end.

THE DEFENSE

As you read in The Trend, the Chargers come into this game with some of the best defensive numbers through the first two weeks of the season. They rank first inthe NFL in EPA per play (-0.465), total points allowed (13) and opposing offense success rate allowed (30.6 percent). Through two games, the Chargers defense has allowed opponents to run just two total plays in the red zone. Now, the Raiders and Panthers, despite an upset win over the Ravens by the former, are not exactly the league's best. Neither team will be in the playoffs this year, and the Panthers might be vying for the first overall pick yet again.

The Chargers want to try and get after the quarterback with their two best defensive players, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Add Tuli Tuipulotu and former Steeler Bud Dupree, and it's a pretty formidable group at edge rusher. They try and get after the quarterback similarly to the Steelers, ranking only 19th in the NFL with a 23.2 blitz percentage, and have sacked the quarterback six times. However, according to Pro-Football Reference, they've only generated 10 pressures. Only the Panthers and Dolphins have fewer. However, there's still plenty of reason to prepare for these guys first:

But the Chargers have some weaknesses to their defense. Derwin James is coming off a pretty down year. Adding Elijah Molden to the mix at safety is paying off through the first two weeks, but there are still some questions there. Asante Samuel Jr. is a solid cornerback and Kristian Fulton is also off to a good start, but these aren't the league's best corners, either. Morgan Fox, Poona Ford and Otito Ogbonnia are a beatable front three, with Ford being the best of the group. Denzel Perryman and Daiyan Henley are a pretty solid duo at linebacker, but they aren't exactly world beaters, either.

With all the talk generated this week about usage of two-high safeties, the Chargers are one of the league leaders in running two-high/middle-field open coverages. According to FantasyPoints.com, the Chargers run out of a two-high look 65.2% of the time, the fourth-highest clip in the league. Among that, they run out of Cover 2 24.6% of the time (fourth in the NFL), Cover 4 15.9% of the time (16th in the NFL) and Cover 6 18.8% of the time (third in the NFL). But, the Chargers are also one of the league leaders in using zone coverage, deploying it 82.6% of the time. Only the Colts and Cowboys have run out of zone more often.

So, the Chargers want to get after the quarterback without blitzing too often, but haven't been overly successful at creating pressure. But, they also are very committed to putting an umbrella over the top of the defense, not allowing teams to take the top off. It'll be important for the Steelers to get the running game going, that way play-action can bring the linebackers closer to the line of scrimmage while trying to hit passes up the seam. Also, I'd expect an uptick in quick throws this week, specifically screens, to help counter the Chargers' pass rush.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Cameron Dicker is a really solid kicker, and he's only 24 years old. He's not only made all five of his field goal attempts this season, he's made 57 of 60 career attempts. That's 95% of his kicks. Any time he lines up on the field, it's a solid bet it's going through the uprights. JK Scott has punted 10 times this season, averaging 46.1 yards per punt. The Chargers are the third team he's punted for in seven NFL seasons. Derius Davis handles all kick and punt return duties, but hasn't gotten much of a chance to show anything yet this season with only two returns of each. However, he did return one punt 87 yards for a touchdown last season, so he's capable of breaking one.

THE INJURY REPORT

• Junior Colson, LB (hamstring) -- Colson missed practice all week after leaving Week 2 against the Panthers with a pulled hamstring. He's out this week. Perryman and Henley will handle most of the linebacker reps against Pittsburgh. Shaquille Quarterman is next up as depth.

• Justin Herbert, QB (ankle) -- Herbert suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Chargers' win over the Panthers in Week 2. Herbert didn't practiced Wednesday, was limited Thursday, then didn't practice Friday. He's officially questionable, which makes him the most notable player to monitor this weekend.

• Joshua Palmer, WR (elbow/calf) -- Palmer was held out of practice all week due to elbow and calf injuries. He's officially questionable. Johnston and McConkey could see an uptick in targets if Palmer is sidelined, with Davis, Simi Fehoko and Brenden Rice as other available receivers.

• Bud Dupree, OLB (illness) -- The former Steeler did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, but managed to become a limited participant Friday. He's officially questionable. 

• Alohi Gilman, S (knee) -- Gilman is on the mend after missing last Sunday's game. He was limited Wednesday and Thursday, but practiced fully Friday. He's officially questionable, but sure seems to be more probably given his trajectory. Should he not be active, Molden would figure to start again at safety after registering an interception last Sunday.

• Ja'sir Taylor, CB (fibula) -- Taylor did not practice Wednesday, and managed to only be a limited participant on Thursday and Friday. The Chargers' third cornerback is also officially questionable. He played through the injury last week, so perhaps this week was more about resting him.

Players on injured reserve:

* - designated to return

• *Nick Niemann, LB, (undisclosed)
• DJ Chark, WR (hip)
• Chris Collins, OLB (undisclosed)
• Tyler McLellan, OT (leg)
• Chris Rumph II, OLB (foot)
• Bucky Williams, IOL (undisclosed)

QUOTABLE

"You don't know until you go out and play the games. And we really don't know. We had an opener against the Raiders. We had the opener on the road against the Panthers. Our team was really good at openers. They look good. So maybe we start treating them all like openers. This week, going to Pittsburgh, the challenge that is going to be. This is an opener against a playoff team, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. How cool. I can remember being a young kid and we were playing the team from Dexter that week, and they're the Pittsburgh Steelers of the Washtenaw County Youth Football League. And this kid…we're actually playing the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. So, it's on to Pittsburgh. Let's find out what we're made of. Playoff team and an opener against playoff opponents this week." -- Jim Harbaugh on his team's start, facing the Steelers

"His mobility. Understanding he has a cannon of an arm. He can get a big play down the field at any moment. It's going to be up to us to get pressure on him and make sure he is contained in the pocket." -- Khalil Mack on facing Justin Fields

"Guys have spoken about their experience. But for the most part we know what type of team they have. You can see it on film. Just from playing them in the past. As long as we come out and be who we know we are, it will be a great game." -- Derwin James on if any of his Chargers teammates who played for the Ravens have talked about playing in Pittsburgh