'Steelers Are Snake Bitten At Quarterback' CBS Miami's Mike Cugno On Why He's Picking Chargers Over Steelers
Los Angeles, CA (KDKA)- The Pittsburgh Steelers are quite literally hurting after five weeks of the NFL season. Aside from the normal nagging injuries that come with football, the Steelers have been particularly unlucky when it comes to injuries to their quarterbacks.
Starter Ben Roethlisberger is done for the year following surgery on his right elbow. Last week, backup Mason Rudolph was knocked out of last week's game against the Baltimore Ravens with a concussion severe enough that the cart needed to be brought out. After it malfunctioned, he had to be helped off the field, leaving the offense to third-string quarterback Devlin Hodges. The team would then lose in overtime 26-23 to fall to 1-4 on the year.
The schedule isn't kind, as the Steelers now head to the West Coast to face the Los Angeles Chargers and Philip Rivers. The Chargers are coming off a loss to the previously win-less Broncos. Both teams are a bit down on their luck entering the matchup, but CBS Miami's Mike Cugno is rolling with the Chargers due to the question marks surrounding Pittsburgh's quarterback situation.
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"I'm picking the Chargers to win this week. You have Melvin Gordon going here. Philip Rivers still looks good, by the way, especially if he gets guys like Keenan Allen involved early and often," said Cugno. "The Steelers, they're in such a tough spot right now. They are just a snake-bitten team at quarterback."
There have been reports that Rudolph could possibly return for Sunday's game, but it is tough to expect a player that had to be walked off the field with a concussion to return in just one week. Whether Rudolph is in the lineup or not, the Steelers offense is likely to experience some success as the Chargers defense ranks 28th in the league in overall defensive efficiency and 25th against the run and pass. Injuries to Derwin James, Nassir Adderley, Melvin Ingram, and Casey Heyward has devastated the pass defense.
With Juju Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson, the Steelers have good options on the outside capable of finding the seams in the Chargers patchwork secondary. It just becomes a matter of who is throwing to them.
On the other side of the ball, as Cugno noted, the Steelers will have their hands full with the Chargers offense. Keenan Allen was shut down last week by the Broncos, but it was the first time all season that has happened. Melvin Gordon is working off the rust after missing training camp and the early part of the season with his hold out. But this will have been his second full week of practice and he should start rounding into form.
Pittsburgh has been no slouch on the defensive side however, ranking seventh in overall defensive efficiency, seventh against the pass and 15th against the run according to Football Outsiders. The area where the Steelers have an edge is the pass rush. Pittsburgh's unit has racked up 19 sacks already this season and is second to only New England in adjusted sack rate.
The Chargers offensive line has been the weak point of their offense which has seemingly been the case for years. They rank middle of the pack in pass protection allowing 11 sacks this season. But they will be further weakened this week as it was announced this week that center Mike Pouncey is out for the year.
Still, the biggest problem Cugno sees in this game is the potential for starting a third-string quarterback, which is why he is rolling with L.A. For what it's worth, oddsmakers agree, installing the Chargers as 6.5 point favorites entering Sunday night's contest.
The Steelers and Chargers cap off the Sunday slate of football when the game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time.
