INGLEWOOD — Neither the Chargers nor the Pittsburgh Steelers looked ready for primetime.
The Chargers’ 25-10 victory Sunday night at SoFi was more of a slog than a shootout, with their defense giving future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers fits from beginning to end and Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey forging a connection the Steelers couldn’t break.
Keenan Allen set a Chargers’ record with his 956th career catch, a modest 7-yard gain in the fourth quarter. Herbert completed 20 of 33 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown to McConkey. Herbert and McConkey also connected on a 58-yard catch and run that set up another TD.
Kimani Vidal rushed for 95 yards on 25 carries plus one TD.
Cameron Dicker kicked three field goals, including one from 59 yards.
But it was the way the Chargers mistreated Rodgers that stood out. Rodgers was off target from the Steelers’ first possession, hurried and harassed into one misfire after another. He looked nothing like a four-time MVP, completing 16 of 31 passes for 161 yards with one TD and two interceptions.
The Chargers sacked him three times, including once for a safety.
The Chargers led 12-3 by halftime thanks to outside linebacker Khalil Mack’s sack of Rodgers in the end zone for a safety, plus Dicker’s 32-yard field goal and Herbert’s 15-yard touchdown pass to a wide open McConkey cutting through the Steelers’ flat-footed secondary.
Neither quarterback showed the flair for which he is renowned, with Rodgers completing only 7 of 14 passes for 64 yards with one interception in the first half. Rookie R.J. Mickens’ pick of an errant Rodgers pass late in the half set up Herbert’s touchdown pass to McConkey with 12 seconds left.
Herbert was slightly sharper while completing 13 of 22 passes, including four to Quentin Johnston. Two attempts to get Allen his franchise record-tying 955th career touchdown were broken up, preserving Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates’ record until the fourth quarter.
Allen snared a quick pass over the middle from Herbert for a 12-yard gain and a first down on the Chargers’ first possession of the second half for the franchise-record tying catch. The record-breaking reception came with a little more than two minutes left in a game that was well in hand.
Dropping to pass behind a makeshift offensive line that lost left tackle Joe Alt to a season-ending ankle injury and right tackle Bobby Hart to knee and ankle injuries during last Sunday’s victory over the Tennessee Titans, Herbert was most effective when firing quick strikes to the outside.
Slowly but certainly, Herbert moved the Chargers downfield in a two-minute drill that required seven plays to cover 38 yards and 1:57 to yield his touchdown pass to McConkey. Dicker’s extra point gave the Chargers a 12-3 lead to cap a less-than-stellar opening half for a “Sunday Night Football” audience.
Was it all due to the defenses?
Mack’s sack of Rodgers was his 35th in three-plus seasons with the Chargers, giving him 35 or more with each of his three NFL teams. Kevin Greene, a Hall of Fame linebacker, is the only other player in league history to accomplish that feat. Overall, Mack has 111.5 sacks in his career.
Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead on Chris Boswell’s 59-yard field goal in the first quarter. Later, in the second quarter, he pulled a 45-yard try wide right that would have given the Steelers a 6-2 lead. The Steelers had only three first downs and 85 total net yards in the first half.
Mack charged through the Steelers’ line to drop Rodgers in the end zone to narrow the deficit to 3-2 with 5:09 remaining in a lackluster first quarter. Rodgers lost control of the ball when Mack hit him from behind, but fell upon it to prevent a Chargers recovery and a touchdown.
The half ended with the Chargers’ defense limiting their last three opponents to one touchdown over the past 10 quarters, dating to their 37-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 23. The defense gave up only two field goals in a 27-20 victory over the Titans last Sunday.
More to come on this story.