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Can the Chargers win in Pittsburgh? This, and other questions, answered

SAN DIEGO SPORTS

There’s no need to look at the stats anymore. No need to consider what happened a month ago, or two months ago, or three. It’s January. It’s the playoffs. From here on out, it’s about heart, desire, will and a little luck.

The Chargers face the best defense in the NFL on Sunday. That fact is not lost on anyone. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been shutting down offenses — good offenses — all year long. Their rugged, hit-you-in-the-mouth style is spearheaded by linebacker James Harrison, who won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award last week, and safety Troy Polamalu, one of football’s biggest difference makers.

It’s impossible to know what will happen, but we can posit some questions about the game. Whichever team answers those questions best will come out on top.

Question 1: Can Darren Sproles carry the load again this week for San Diego? Sproles, and his 328 all-purpose yards last Saturday against the Colts, catapulted himself into the consciousness of Football America. With word that LaDainian Tomlinson will miss the contest with that torn tendon in his groin (wincing even as I type that), Sproles will have to come up big. But don’t think the Steelers weren’t paying attention. They will have a game plan for Napoleon Dynamite, and expect No. 43 to have a “Lawrence Timmons-shaped shadow” all over him for the duration of the contest. Of course, with his quickness and makeyoumissability (sure, it’s a word. Look it up), any amount of open space may be enough to vault Sproles to paydirt. And in this game, the points should be at a premium.

Question 2: What affect will Ben Rothliesberger’s concussion have on his play? Well, I don’t claim to be a doctor, but anytime your brain rattles against your skull, I can’t think that’s a good thing. Big Ben has been cleared to play, and he’s one of the toughest quarterbacks in the league, but if you’re a Steelers fan, you have to be at least a little concerned. He probably won’t be able to hit the Bolts with a big play, and if the San Diego D can get to him early and often, knocking him on his keester in the process, it could rattle him. Literally.

Question 3: What can Philip Rivers do to improve on his earlier showing in Pittsburgh? Conditions should be the same. It will be cold. It will be windy. Not always conducive to a great passing game. But Rivers needs to dial it back a little in this one. It will be imperative for Norv Turner to call a great game on offense, trying to find ways to exploit the Steelers on every single play. Rivers must also lean on Antonio Gates again this week. If he can provide a presence in the middle of the field, it should open up some potential big plays for Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, and Malcolm Floyd on the outside. It will also loosen things up to allow Sproles to make plays out of the backfield, where is extremely dangerous. If Rivers can avoid trying to do it all, make good reads and just let the game come to him, he should be fine. And he will be effective.

Question 4: Who will win the battle of turnovers? Call me crazy, but my guess is that the Chargers have been focusing all week on not turning the ball over. In this expected low-scoring game, valuing possession is paramount. It all starts up front, though. If the Chargers O-Line can contain the incredibly complex blitzing schemes from the Steelers, it will help Rivers from forcing throws. Additionally, expect to see every single Chargers player covering the ball with two hands, especially Sproles, whose fumble on the 2-yard line last week almost turned out to be catastrophic.

On defense, expect the Chargers to put more pressure on Rothliesberger than in the previous game. The Steelers offense hasn’t been lighting the world on fire recently, and the Bolts might find a few opportunities to take some chances defensively. If they can put pressure on him, they could force Rothliesberger into mistakes. Let’s face it, his ball security hasn’t been good this season, as evidenced by his 15 interceptions and seven lost fumbles on the year.

Question 5: What’s the biggest X-factor? Punting. No, seriously. I’m not joking. Why are you laughing? It’s punting. Mike Scifres had an “otherworldly” effort against Indy, killing six punts inside the 20, and three inside the 10. He probably won’t be able to duplicate that effort, but his leg could give the Bolts a HUGE advantage in field position. That means fewer opportunities to score for the Steelers. On the other side, Pittsburgh’s Mitch Berger hasn’t been nearly as effective as Scifres, even shanking a few punts late in the season. He could very easily gift-wrap a few golden opportunities for San Diego.. Believe me, the punters will be talked about in this one.

Question 6: So who ya got? What can I say? They’ve got their hooks in me. I picked them at the beginning of the year, and it’s too late to turn back now.

San Diego 19, Pittsburgh 16

Eric Yates, much like the rest of the city, isn’t a native San Diegan. He’s been here for the past eight years and has adopted the Padres and Chargers as his own. Serving as a full-time and freelance sportswriter while in San Diego, he’s covered the beat for both the Padres and Chargers. A sports fanatic, his crowning achievement as a fan was appearing on the ESPN game show Stump the Schwab and coming within one question of toppling the big guy.

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