Everyone has their thoughts and opinions about who will win a given game and why. Like with anything in life, the most informed opinions about any situation come from those who have lived it. Defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko began his NFL career with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 and spent multiple stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, including as recently as training camp this offseason. As someone with knowledge of both teams, he offered his prediction for this week’s game.
“Chargers are going to rely heavily on Justin Herbert just being Superman and a quick game menu,” Fehoko wrote on his X account on Friday, referring to Chargers star QB Justin Herbert and the game plan that has been successful against the Steelers defense at times this season.
“The problem with that is the Chargers aren’t a foundational, quick-game, rhythm passing team,” Fehoko continued. “Greg Roman will live and die with a fullback or two tight ends on the field, and I don’t see a successful ground game for LA on Sunday.”
Roman is in his second season as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator and is known for his run-heavy offensive philosophy. The Steelers are familiar with Roman’s work from his time on the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive staff, which spanned from 2017 to 2022.
“I know for a fact that Steelers’ d-line are going to be teeing off like a pack of hungry ass wild dogs. Knowing the thin depth on the Chargers OL. Last year, the chargers couldn’t protect the Steelers’ add-on rushers in max pro situations. That’s an issue if you can’t execute 7-man pro. Chargers need the defense to come up with at least two turnovers for a shot at a win. If you can’t protect Herbert, you got no shot Sunday.”
Fehoko then predicted the Steelers would win 27-14.
As a defensive lineman, Fehoko knows the impact that the Steelers’ pass rush and the Chargers’ banged-up offensive line will have on the outcome of this game. Even though Fehoko and Roman’s paths didn’t cross in their Chargers tenures, the long-time coach’s run-oriented philosophy is a given. The whole league knows that’s how the Chargers want to win games. But with the injuries to Los Angeles’ offensive line (and not to mention their RBs), Fehoko envisions a game similar to last week against Indianapolis, where the Steelers will be able to shut down the run.
If that comes to fruition, the question will be whether Justin Herbert can carry the offensive production. As Fehoko said, he might need to be “Superman” and rely on a quick passing game that was successful against Pittsburgh in their embarrassing losses to Cincinnati and Green Bay this season. Herbert is a talented enough quarterback to win his team games when needed, and the Chargers have a plethora of receiving threats. But as Fehoko’s post drives home, it’s not the identity of their team.
Last season, when these two teams met in Pittsburgh in Week 3, the Chargers only managed 61 rushing yards. Pittsburgh’s pass rush was able to torment Justin Herbert and backup QB Taylor Heinicke, who had to enter the game after an injury to Herbert, to the tune of 5 sacks and a net total of 105 passing yards.
Last week, the Steelers’ pass rush was able to find success against Indianapolis, sacking QB Daniel Jones five times. This was heavily aided by Pittsburgh’s ability to stop the run, which also played a significant role in the six turnovers forced. Surely the Chargers will game plan to contain TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith and the rest of the Steelers’ pass rush but with injuries to star tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, as well as backup Bobby Hart, their depth and ability to keep Herbert upright will be a huge test and a storyline to watch in this game.
In this year’s rematch of his former teams on Sunday in Los Angeles, Breiden Fehoko envisions success for Pittsburgh. But he knows the path they will have to take to find that success.
