A couple of franchises that prefer to air it out, the Los Angeles Chargers (-7) are ready to host the Pittsburgh Steelers at StubHub Center. This Sunday Night game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET and NBC will televise the action.
Betting Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Chargers
This Sunday AFC game showcases the Steelers as the underdogs and they’re currently getting 7 points. The Steelers are also receiving +220 moneyline odds while the Chargers are -260. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 41 points. If the favorites give up points early, it would likely result in a worthy in-game betting opportunity.
The sharp action has been siding with both the Bolts and the under. The line originally opened at -5 and the game’s O/U was initially 43.5.
The Steelers are down 3.7 units so far and 2-2-1 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U mark of 2-3.
The Chargers have lost 2.4 units this season. The team is 2-3 ATS and has an O/U record of 1-4.
The Steelers are 1-4 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Chargers are 2-3 SU.
When these two squads faced each other last year, Los Angeles won by a field goal 33-30.
The Steelers are looking to get back on track after a narrow 26-23 defeat to Baltimore last week. the Steelers completed 21-of-31 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Mason Rudolph went 13-for-20 for 131 yards and one touchdown while Devlin Hodges completed seven-of-nine for 68 yards. James Conner (55 yards on 14 rushes, one TD) spearheaded the running attack while JuJu Smith-Schuster (seven receptions, 75 yards, one TD) and Diontae Johnson (five catches, 27 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
In Week 5, Denver took care of this Los Angeles crew by a score of 20-13. Philip Rivers completed 32-of-48 passes for 211 yards and two interceptions. Melvin Gordon III (31 yards on 12 rush attempts) mounted the running game as Ekeler (15 receptions, 86 yards) and Mike Williams (six catches, 74 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
In terms of offensive play-calling, each of these teams has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Pittsburgh has run the ball on 35.8 percent of its offensive possessions while Los Angeles has a rush percentage of 36.7. The Steelers have produced 67 rush yards/game and have three scores on the ground this year. The Bolts are totaling 89.8 rushing yards per game and have three total rush TDs.
The Steelers offense has averaged 220 yards in the air overall and has seven passing scores so far. The Bolts have produced 294.4 pass yards per contest and also have seven total pass TDs.
Pittsburgh has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 125.8 yards and throw for 256.4 yards per game. The Los Angeles D has allowed 229.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 119.8 yards per game on the ground. The Steelers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.53 to opposing QBs, while the Bolts have given up a 7.31 ANY/A.
Rivers has completed 109-of-164 passes for 1,155 yards, five TDs and four INTs. Rivers’ adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 5.87 for the season and 5.89 over his last two outings. In the other huddle, Rudolph is up to 417 passing yards this season, and has connected on 39-of-66 attempts with five passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Rudolph has a 5.83 ANY/A for the year, although that number sits at 8.35 over the last two games.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Chargers Free NFL Tip
SU Winner: Chargers, ATS Winner: Chargers, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- The Over/Under for Pittsburgh’s last game going into it was 44. The over cashed in the team’s 26-23 defeat to Baltimore.
- Pittsburgh has produced 3.4 yards per carry across its past three contests and 3.3 over its last two.
- Los Angeles has averaged 2.8 yards per carry over its last three outings and only 2.3 over its last two.
- Los Angeles has lost four fumbles this season while Pittsburgh has let three get away.
- Over its last three games, Pittsburgh is 2-0-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Los Angeles’ previous game was 46. The under cashed in the team’s 20-13 defeat to Denver.
- Over its last three contests, Los Angeles is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- The Steelers offense has registered four pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Chargers have accounted for two such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed two pass plays of 40 yards or more. The Pittsburgh defense has given up four pass plays of 30+ yards while Los Angeles has yielded eight such plays.
- Both defenses have produced two rushing plays of 20+ yards. The Pittsburgh offense has recorded seven running plays of 10+ yards while Los Angeles has accounted for nine such plays.
- The Steelers defense has allowed two rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Chargers have given up four such runs.
- The Pittsburgh defensive unit has sacked opposing quarterbacks 19 times this season. Los Angeles has produced just 12 sacks.
