The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for the 2024 regular season, and with it being the team’s third game fans’ hopes were high heading into the new season. The hope is there is a winning performance on the horizon on Sunday in Week 3 when the team travels to play the Los Angeles Chargers in Pittsburgh.

What exactly do the Steelers need to do to claim their third victory of 2024? Let’s break it down…

Offense

Get Moving

To date the Steelers are averaging 260.5 yards per game, which ranks 30th in the league. To be more specific, they average 121.5 passing yards per game (30th) and 139 rushing yards per game (12th). For the Steelers to claim victory in Week 3 they will need to move the ball with efficiency and balance, something which has eluded them for the first two games of the season. They’ve had spurts where you can see signs of potential, but those are almost always fleeting. Time to put four quarters together vs. the Chargers.

Keep It Clean

The Steelers have yet to commit an offensive turnover in a game, and keeping that going will be a challenge against a Chargers defense who has a knack for taking the ball away. Los Angeles has four takeaways on the season, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, and their opportunistic defense will look to give their offense a

Finish

Through two games the Steelers red-zone touchdown conversion rate is a whopping 25%. That percentage ranks them 29th in the league, a mark which will need to improve in the future if the Steelers plan on being a team who can hit the 20, or even 30, point plateau in a game. When you talk about finishing, there is more to it than just red-zone touchdown conversions. You have to get to the red-zone first, and that consists of 3rd down success. Currently the Steelers 3rd down conversion rate is 40%, which is around the league average. Win on these “money” downs and watch the record move to 3-0.

Defense

Stop the run

The Chargers offense has the second-best running offense in the league, averaging 197.5 yards per game. However, the Steelers run defense ranks 5th in the league, surrendering 76.5 yards per game. It feels like a classic strength vs. strength battle, but who will win? This Greg Roman offense is the same offense Teryl Austin and company prepared for in Baltimore for years. If there is a team, and staff, comfortable with what Roman likes to do running the football, it’s the Steelers. Execution is different, and if the Steelers can slow down J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards it would boost their odds of winning tremendously.

Keep taking it away

The Steelers +5 turnover differential sits atop the NFL, but they have 5 takeaways on the season (4 INTs, 1 FR). This trend has been one which has helped the struggling offense in many ways. Whether it’s setting up the offense in good field position or taking points off the scoreboard, every takeaway has provided an immense amount of value towards the first two wins of the season. Can they keep it up? The Chargers only have two turnovers on the season (1 INT, 1 Fumble) so it isn’t as if they are a turnover heavy team. If the Steelers want to aid their offense, this is how.

Force the pass

Justin Herbert is dealing with a high ankle sprain, and many are wondering what his mobility will look like in Week 3 at Acrisure Stadium. How important will it be for the Steelers to slow down the Chargers running attack? It’s paramount to put the Chargers in obvious passing situations where they can get after a hobbled Herbert, assuming he plays. The Chargers haven’t had to throw much in their first two games, with Herbert only throwing for 274 yards in two games, but allowing T.J. Watt to work on rookie Joe Alt with a less mobile Herbert is a huge advantage to Pittsburgh…if they can slow down the running game.

I talk about this, and MUCH more on the “Let’s Ride”, and you can hear that podcast in the player below this article. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the team as they gear up for game time!