Pittsburgh, PA - Steelers mounted a huge comeback against the Chargers, but they fell short and lost 41-37. The Steelers played without key players due to injuries and Covid protocol. They played without linebacker T.J. Watt, defensive back Joe Haden, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. It was a big scoring game for both sides, Chargers running back Austin Ekeler finished with 4 touchdowns, 2 through the air, and 2 on the ground. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 3 touchdowns and 382 yards. He also finished with 90 rushing yards. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3 touchdowns and 273 yards. Steelers kicker Chris Boswell was 3/3 on field goals which helped the Steelers come back.

On the Steelers' first drive, they marched down the field, but they could only settle for a field goal. On the Chargers' first drive, they drove down the field with ease tearing apart the Steelers' defense. Chargers running back Austin Ekeler ran the ball for 6 yards which got them the touchdown and made the score 7-3 Chargers. On the Steelers, next drive quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a 40-yard pass to wide receiver Chase Claypool which put them in the red zone. Chase Claypool finished with 5 receptions and 93 yards. The Steelers couldn’t get into the end zone on their three attempts. They go for it on 4th and goal and try to shovel pass it to tight end Pat Freiermuth, but fail. Steelers turn the ball on downs and the Chargers get the ball on the 2-yard line. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert led down the field on the ground. He picked up key first downs when he ran the ball. Austin Ekeler gets another touchdown, but this time a receiving touchdown making the score 14-3 Chargers. Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson did most of the heavy-duty on that drive. That seemed to be Ben's favorite target on that drive. Ben threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson which made the score 14-10 Chargers. Diontae Johnson finished the game with 7 receptions and 101 yards. With a minute left in the first half, the Chargers sneak their way downfield and get a field goal. The score at the end of the first half was 17-10 Chargers.

In the second half, the Chargers receive the ball and get down the field through the air. Charger wide receiver Keenan Allen was a big target on the opening second-half drive. He finished the game with 9 receptions and 112 receiving yards. Austin Ekeler scored again with a 17-yard touchdown reception. With Austin Ekeler’s third touchdown of the game, the score was 24-10 Chargers. The Steelers couldn’t get anything going on their next drive and had to punt the ball to the Chargers. The Chargers went down the field and only managed to score a field goal. The Chargers led 27-10. The Steelers had to answer back on that drive and did so by getting a field goal which made the score 27-13 chargers. The Steelers' defense forced the Chargers to punt the ball on their next drive. During the punt, the listed safety Miles Killebrew blocked the punt and gave the Steelers good field position with the ball on the 1-yard line. On that drive, Steelers running back Najee Harris ran the ball in for the touchdown. The score was 27- 20 Chargers. Chargers get the ball back on offense and march down the field. Herbert got a huge run putting them in the red zone. Austin Ekeler scored another touchdown getting a 5-yard run. The score was 34-20 Chargers. Steelers also marched down the field with the help of Diontae Johnson who got a 32-yard reception that gave them a good field position. The play after Johnson’s 32-yard reception, Roethlisberger completed a pass to tight end, Eric Ebron, for a 24-yard reception. The Steelers ended off that drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass back to Ebron. The score was 34-27 Chargers. On the Chargers' second play of their drive, Herbert tried to throw the ball to Keenan Allen, but it was deflected by Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward. During that same play, the ball was in the air and then intercepted by defensive back Cameron Sutton.  With all the momentum on the Steelers' side, Roethlisbeger threw a screen pass to Freiermuth and he scored. The game was tied 34-34. The Steelers' defense was not letting up and made it hard for the Chargers. The Steelers' defense stopped them on all 3 downs. The Chargers try to go for it on 4th down, but they don’t get the first down. The ball turned over on downs and it was the Steelers ball. On their drive, they could only manage to get a field goal, and they took the lead 37-34.  The Chargers got the ball and got a couple of first downs. Herbert ended up completing a 53-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Williams. He finished the game with 5 receptions and 97 yards. With 2:09 left in the games, the Chargers led 41-37. The Steelers needed a touchdown to take the lead. On that drive, Roethlisberger gets sacked by Chargers linebacker Kyler Fackrell. In the very next play, Roethlisberger gets sacked again. This time it was linebacker Joey Bosa. Roethlisberger threw two incomplete passes and turned the ball over on downs. The Chargers went on to win the game 41-37.

It was a huge comeback from the Steelers, but they couldn’t get the job done. You could tell that they needed their star players on defense. Those players were: T.J Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Joe haden. With that loss, the Steelers fell down to 5-4-1 and the Chargers were 6-4.