It is likely that the Chargers win this game because the Steelers are starting their third string quarterback, Devlin Hodges. Without an experienced quarterback, the Steelers have a difficult challenge against the Chargers in Los Angeles. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers matchup. ad1 Philip Rivers and the Chargers host the Steelers on Sunday Night Football in Week 6. Photo by Wikipedia CC License. The Pittsburgh Steelers and LA Chargers square off on Sunday Night Football (8:20pm ET, Oct. 13) The 2-3 Chargers are 6.5-point home favorites, and four of their five games have gone under the total.

• Steelers Chargers Betting Lines 2020
• Steelers Chargers Betting Lines Today

The Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3-1) host the Los Angeles Chargers (8-3) on Sunday Night Football this weekend in an all-AFC showdown. Kickoff is set for 8:30 PM EST on December 2nd at Heinz Field and the game will be broadcast on NBC.

Oddsmakers opened this game up with the Steelers listed as 3.5-point road favorites. That line hasn’t moved at all after early betting, as Pittsburgh is currently available at -3.5. The total for this matchup is 52 points. Click here for a full look at the Week 13 NFL odds and for more links to our individual game previews.

Steelers vs Chargers Vegas Odds & Game Preview

Los Angeles crushed Arizona 45-10 at home last weekend to improve to 8-3 on the season overall. The Chargers actually trailed 10-0 at the end of the first quarter before scoring 28 unanswered points before halftime. RB Melvin Gordon III had been listed as questionable prior to kickoff, but he ended up suiting up despite not practicing for much of the week. While he did manage to score two touchdowns, Gordon III was forced to leave in the second half and has already been ruled out for Week 13. However, QB Philip Rivers does have excellent chemistry with RB Austin Ekeler, who will likely see his usual pass-catching role expanded against the Steelers with Gordon inactive. Rivers has been fantastic this season, completing 69.5% of his passes for 3,119 yards and 26 touchdowns. He has also thrown two or more touchdown passes in 12 consecutive games. The receiving duo of Keenan Allen and Tyrell Williams have also been big contributors on offense, combining for 1,367 yards and nine touchdowns. Overall, Los Angeles is currently averaging 27.9 points per game (7th overall) on 402.0 yards of total offense.

The Chargers have been excellent defensively through their first eleven games, giving up an average of just 19.9 points per game (4th overall) on 334.8 yards of total offense. They have been especially strong against the pass, allowing only 227.3 yards per game through the air (7th overall).

Pittsburgh dropped to 7-3-1 on the season last weekend after a disappointing 24-17 loss on the road in Denver. The Steelers were just a couple of yards away from the end zone with two minutes left in the 4th quarter but couldn’t find a way to punch it in, as Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception on a critical 3rd and goal. It was certainly puzzling to see Pittsburgh abandon the run on the 2.5 yard line, as they had three chances to hand the ball off to RB James Conner. Conner has looked fantastic filling in for Le’Veon Bell, racking up 894 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Roethlisberger has also had a solid year, throwing for 3,664 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has really been clicking with both Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster as of late. as the pair have combined for 1,929 yards and 15 touchdowns in just 11 games. As a whole, the offense is currently averaging 28.7 points per game (6th overall) on 420.8 total yards.

The Steelers have been slightly above average on the other side of the ball so far this season, surrendering 22.6 points per game to opponents (12th overall) on 325.1 yards of total offense. However, they have been quite solid against the pass, giving up an average of only 223.3 yards per game through the air (6th overall).

Free NFL Betting Prediction: Steelers -3.5

This is shaping up to be one of the most entertaining games on the schedule here in Week 13, as both of these teams have been enjoying impressive seasons so far. While this matchup could easily go either way, there are a couple of factors that have me leaning towards Pittsburgh in this particular spot. While Austin Ekeler is still a solid running back, there is no doubt that Los Angeles will greatly miss Melvin Gordon III on Sunday night. He has been one of the most dynamic offensive players in the entire NFL through the first 12 weeks of the season. The other thing that the Steelers have going for them is their unique ability to bounce back immediately following a loss – they are a perfect 6-0 ATS in their last six games after a defeat.

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Pittsburgh is also a very solid 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games against opponents from the AFC and 5-1-1 ATS over their last seven games overall. The Chargers are only 2-7 ATS in their last nine games in the month of December and 2-6 ATS over their last eight games following an ATS win.

While all of those trends are certainly important to keep in mind, the following statistic really jumped off the page at me : Los Angeles is just 2-5 ATS in their last seven trips to Heinz Field and only 3-8 ATS over their last 11 meetings with Pittsburgh overall. I’m not going to pick against a Steelers team that will be hungry to avenge a bad loss last Sunday. I’ll lay the 3.5 points and take a stab with the home favorite, give me Pittsburgh to cover the spread.

This week’s Sunday night primetime game brings together a pair of struggling teams desperate for a win as the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Los Angeles Chargers. Kickoff is at 8:20 EST on Sunday, October 13 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The game will be televised nationally on NBC.

If we look at this week’s NFL betting odds, the Chargers are 6.5-point favorites at home. The over/under for the game is set at 41 points.

Chargers vs Steelers Vegas Game Preview & Betting Odds

The Steelers have struggled to survive the loss of Ben Roethlisberger, who is sidelined for the rest of the season. They managed to knock off a winless Bengals team a couple of weeks ago but followed it up with an overtime loss to the Ravens last week. To make matters worse, new starting quarterback Mason Rudolph has spent all week in concussion protocol and may not be able to play on Sunday.

At 1-4, Pittsburgh is running out of time to get things turned around, even if they only trail Baltimore by two games in the AFC North. The Steelers will have the benefit of playing three straight home games after next week’s bye, giving them a chance to regroup and get back on track. But heading into their bye at 1-5 will make it tough to salvage the season, making this a must-win game for them.

Meanwhile, the Chargers are also coming off a loss, losing at home to the previously winless Broncos last week. The loss dropped Los Angeles to 2-3 on the season. Thus far, the Chargers have fallen well short of preseason expectations, which were quite high after a 12-4 campaign last year. The thing that stings the most is that L.A. has lost two of their three home games.

If the Chargers can’t get on track this week at home, things could start to spiral out of control with road games against the Titans and Bears on the horizon. L.A. has already fallen two games behind the Chiefs inside the AFC West, making it look like they’ll be chasing a Wild Card spot this season.

Free NFL Pick Against the Spread: Chargers -6.5

Steelers Chargers Betting Lines 2020

The Chargers have done little to earn anybody’s trust this season. But they’re going to luck out this week by catching the Steelers at the right time. With Rudolph unlikely to play and undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges likely to get his first start, the odds are stacked against the Steelers. I think the Chargers are better than what they’ve shown, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and lean toward them to cover a touchdown against an undermanned Pittsburgh team.

For what it’s worth, Hodges wasn’t half bad in relief of Rudolph last week. He completed seven of his nine passes and didn’t turn the ball over. But coming off the bench and keeping your team in the game at home is a lot different from starting a game on the road against a team that’s prepared to face you. For a quarterback who played at an FCS program in college, there’s no way of knowing if Hodges is ready for that challenge.

The performance of the Pittsburgh rushing attack this season doesn’t exactly make me think that Hodges will get a lot of support. James Connor is gaining just 3.3 yards per carry and hasn’t even eclipsed 200 yards on the season. On top of that, backup Jaylen Samuels is set to miss the next month due to injury. Even against the porous rush defense of the Chargers, I have my doubts about the Pittsburgh running game. We already know the Steelers have problems at wide receiver outside of JuJuj Smith-Schuster. They’ll be even more short-handed this week with James Washington out and tight end Vance McDonald listed as questionable.

On the other side of the ball, the Pittsburgh defense may not be much help either. Outside of their game against the winless Bengals, the Steelers have allowed at least 24 points in every game this season. With the Pittsburgh offense looking so limited these days, that’s a trend that can’t continue if the Steelers are going to have a chance in this game.

Steelers Chargers Betting Lines Today

The Chargers, meanwhile, have plenty of offensive potential, even if they’ve been inconsistent this season. Last week, they committed two turnovers in the red zone, an occurrence that is unlikely to repeat itself this week. Keep in mind that Melvin Gordon is back from his holdout. He didn’t do much last week in part because the team fell behind early. Gordon should have more of a chance to establish himself this week. The L.A. offense also has Austin Ekeler and Keenan Allen as reliable playmakers around Philip Rivers. Those guys should help the Chargers get their offense moving in the right direction this week.

At the end of the day, there are simply too many questions about the Steelers to take a chance on them. Even with the spread at 6.5 points, I’m not sure the Pittsburgh offense can score enough to stay within striking distance. I don’t think the Chargers will blow them out, but winning by a touchdown seems like a reasonable expectation.