They’ve won at home. They’ve won on the road. The Chargers now get a glimpse of how they might fare in the playoffs.
After beating up on the Raiders and the Panthers — who combined for nine wins last season — the Chargers face what coach Jim Harbaugh calls their “playoff opener” against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are the Chargers’ first opponent that went to the playoffs last year.
Featuring the top two stingiest scoring defenses in the NFL, Sunday’s game (10 a.m. PDT, Ch. 2) is likely to be a slugfest. Although the Chargers have had no trouble relying on running back J.K. Dobbins for the majority of their offense, Justin Herbert’s ankle injury still casts significant concern about the team’s chances against a Steelers defense that has given up just eight points per game.
Rookie offensive tackle Joe Alt shut down Maxx Crosby in Week 1 and must follow up the performance against Steelers star T.J. Watt.
The Chargers defense that has allowed a league-leading 6.5 points per game will face quarterback Justin Fields, who led the Steelers to their first 2-0 start on the road since 1999.
