On Sunday Night Football, the Los Angeles Chargers will travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to take on the Steelers. This Sunday Night Football matchup will kick off at 8:20 PM. ET.
It’s hard to believe that the Chargers are so underrated. Philip Rivers ranks 4th in touchdown passes and 3rd in passes of 20 or more yards. Rivers has often gone overlooked throughout his career, and it appears as though 2018 will be no different. It certainly doesn’t help that one of the hottest team in the league, the Kansas City Chiefs, and arguably the league MVP, Patrick Mahomes, is in your division.
That’s certainly hurting the Chargers, but it’s more than that. The Chargers have had some strong seasons under River, but they’ve never gotten over the hump. A win against a potential AFC playoff opponent in the Steelers would go along in convincing fans that this Chargers team is for real.
As soon as it looks like the Steelers are the potential team to beat in the AFC, outside of the Chiefs, they go and lose to the Broncos. Playing on the road in Denver is never easy, but it’s still surprising that the Steelers couldn’t stop the Broncos rushing attack. While the Steelers defense isn’t their strength, it hasn’t been a weakness either. Heading into the home-stretch of the season, the Steelers face a few of the league’s best teams, starting this week against the Chargers. Coming off a loss, expect the Steelers to dial in for this game.
The Chargers are for real and Philip Rivers could win MVP.
Rivers won’t win the MVP, that’s going to Patrick Mahomes. Even if Rivers doesn’t win MVP, this is clearly his best season at quarterback.
The Chargers’ offense ranks 6th in yards per game according to NFL Stats. A big reason for the Chargers success has been the running game and that could become an issue with Melvin Gordon getting injured in week 12.
With Gordon out of the lineup due to injury, Austin Ekeler will take his place. In Gordon’s absence, Ekeler played extremely well.
Last week against the Cardinals, Ekeler took over for Gordon and rushed for 35 yards on 5 carries and score a touchdown. More importantly, were Ekeler’s contributions to the passing game. Ekeler had 10 receptions for 68 yards.
The Steelers’ offense will need to bounce back.
Despite Roethlisberger throwing for 462 yards on 41 completions, the Steelers came up just short with a late-game interception of Big Ben in the end zone. The pass was certainly surprising considering no one seemed to be within range. It was a classic case of a quarterback trying to force a play. For all the intangibles that Roethlisberger brings, he isn’t without his flaws.
On the season, the Steelers’ offense ranks 6th in scoring, just ahead of the Chargers according to NFL Stats. Similarly, both these teams have solid defenses; both defenses rank in the top ten in terms of yards allowed per game. While this game could become a defensive battle, expect both offenses to overpower the defenses on both sides.
Chargers Vs Steelers Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Steelers favored to win the game by -3.5 points. The over/under on total points scored is 51.5 You can read our full BetOnline review here.
My Pick
This game has big-play potential all over it. Both these teams have a lot to play for and have shown that they are capable of putting up a lot of points. Playing the over is a safe bet here. If Melvin Gordon was playing in this game, then the Chargers would be the play here. They’re a great team that no one will want to face come playoff time. This week, however, on the road and without Gordon expect them to struggle to close this game out. Go with the Steelers to bounce back at home and get on track.
Play: Steelers -3.5 @ BetOnline.ag
2018 Week 13 Betting Pick • Los Angeles Chargers • NFL Sunday Night Football Betting Pick • Pittsburgh Steelers betting