The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers won a game on the West Coast was 10 years ago, when second-year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the team to a 24-22 victory over the San Diego Chargers in Week 5 of the 2005 season. Prior to that, it was a Week 17 win over the Chargers in 2000.
A 2011 win against the Arizona Cardinals happened in the Pacific Time Zone prior to the state's annual Daylight Savings Time switch to the Mountain Time Zone in November, but with a 2-4 record in Arizona and Denver since 2000, the Steelers haven't done well against teams two time zones away either.
Since that 2000 victory over the Chargers, the Steelers have traveled to play the six westernmost teams in the NFL 14 times in the regular season and managed just three wins. Only one of those actually came on the West Coast:
| Year | Week | Team | Score | W/L |
| 2003 | 6 | Denver Broncos | 17-14 | L |
| 2003 | 9 | Seattle Seahawks | 23-16 | L |
| 2003 | 11 | San Francisco 49ers | 30-14 | L |
| 2005 | 5 | San Diego Chargers | 24-22 | W |
| 2006 | 5 | San Diego Chargers | 23-13 | L |
| 2006 | 8 | Oakland Raiders | 20-13 | L |
| 2007 | 4 | Arizona Cardinals | 21-14 | L |
| 2007 | 7 | Denver Broncos | 31-28 | L |
| 2009 | 9 | Denver Broncos | 28-10 | W |
| 2011 | 7 | Arizona Cardinals | 32-20 | W |
| 2011 | 15 | San Francisco 49ers | 20-3 | L |
| 2012 | 1 | Denver Broncos | 31-19 | L |
| 2012 | 3 | Oakland Raiders | 34-31 | L |
| 2013 | 8 | Oakland Raiders | 21-18 | L |
Difficulty traveling multiple time zones isn't a problem that only the Steelers have. Even traveling just one time zone has traditionally yielded negative results for teams, but the Steelers are adamant that it isn't a problem and it won't be a problem on Monday against the Chargers.
Offensive lineman Ramon Foster told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that traveling far for a game is an excuse that only factors in for those who let it.
"Anybody who makes an excuse about going to the West Coast or traveling to the west to east, I don't think is built right. It's bull."
Mike Vick, who is starting for Roethlisberger due to an injury, hasn't fared well out West either. While he wasn't a starter last year when Geno Smith was benched against the Chargers, Vick completed just 8 of 19 passes for 47 yards in his place. Before that he was the starter for the Philadelphia Eagles in bad losses on the road to the Broncos in 2013 and Cardinals in 2012. His last win on the West Coast came in the first week of the 2004 season against the 49ers.
The long travel also doesn't bode well for a Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals, despite the fact that it's in Pittsburgh. After a win over the Detroit Lions, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians spoke about the advantage that his team will have against the weary Steelers in six days.
"It is always a big advantage to play an East Coast team the week after they have to play Monday night on the West Coast, because they are still trying to recover from the short week and the long flights."
The Chargers enter Monday as a 3.5-point favorite, despite boasting the same 2-2 record as the Steelers.