The Pittsburgh Steelers' season took a drastic turn for the worse when Ben Roethlisberger injured his knee in Week 3 against the St. Louis Rams. They hung on to win that game thanks to their defense, but lost in overtime to the Baltimore Ravens the following week. Now they head to the West Coast for a Monday Night Football matchup with the San Diego Chargers.
The Chargers are also 2-2, and will be happy to see Mike Vick at quarterback rather than Roethlisberger -- they need a win with a game at Lambeau Field coming next. The problem for San Diego is that its run defense is allowing 4.9 yards a carry -- 31st in the NFL -- and that's not good when you are about to face a team that has Le'Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams and Vick. If they can't find a way to at least slow down Pittsburgh's running game, the Chargers won't be able to put pressure on Vick as a passer, and that's when he struggles.
When San Diego has the ball, its biggest concern will be protecting Philip Rivers. Pittsburgh has been able to get to quarterbacks at a decent clip, but when the pressure isn't there, the secondary has had problems. The Steelers have only intercepted two passes this season, and with Rivers among the league leaders in passing yards, San Diego will attack through the air as often as possible. That passing attack will be even more dangerous this week with Antonio Gates returning from a four-game suspension.
How to watch
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Network: ESPN
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters
Online: WatchESPN, NFL Game Pass