Pittsburgh Steelers vs LA Chargers Picks and Spread for Sunday Night Football

• The Chargers are 3-point favorites over the Steelers on Sunday Night Football
• LA is a top-five offense per EPA with Joe Alt in the lineup, and a bottom-five offense when he sits
• See my Steelers vs Chargers picks below, plus the latest spread for Sunday Night Football

You wouldn’t know it judging by the amount of terrible towels in the stands, but Sunday night’s contest between the Steelers (5-3, 2-1 away) and Chargers (6-3, 3-2 home) is in fact an LA home game. No fanbase is as loyal as Pittsburgh’s, and they should have plenty to cheer about if you buy the line movement in the SNF odds.

Pittsburgh opened the week as 3.5-point underdogs, but the spread has been moving towards them ever since. It now sits at +2.5 at most books, and I think they’re live not only to cover, but to win outright as well.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 pm ET from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, with NBC providing the broadcast coverage.

Steelers vs Chargers Picks

There comes a point when injuries are simply too much to overcome. We’ve reached that stage with LA, who have virtually no one left on their offensive line. Starting tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are both done for the season, while offseason addition Mekhi Becton is banged up as well.

No loss is more impactful than Alt’s, as the Chargers are a completely different team with and without him. With Alt in the lineup, LA ranks top-five in EPA/play, without him they’re bottom-five in that category. Their pass block win rate drops to 51.8% sans Alt, the worst mark in football.

That spells disaster on Sunday Night Football, with the Steelers top-three pass rush coming to town. T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig are going to have a field day, setting up Pittsburgh for another solid defensive showing. The Steelers forced six turnovers in their upset win over the Colts last week, holding the Super Bowl odds contender to only 20 points.

Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Stats

Justin Herbert has been excellent under pressure this season, but there’s only so much he can do given the hand he’s been dealt. Not only is LA down it’s top linemen, they’re also on their fourth and fifth string running backs. The Steelers have been vulnerable against the run this season, but held the NFL’s top back Jonathan Taylor in check last week, and should have no problem handing Kimani Vidal, a glorified practice squad RB.

On the other side of the ball, the Chargers are a middling defense that’s susceptible against the run, especially on early downs. LA ranks dead last in DVOA versus the rush on first down, and early down success will open up the play action passing game for Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers is fourth this season in touchdown passes (17), and is averaging 7.0 yards per attempt for the first time since 2021. He’s done an excellent job of avoiding turnovers and sacks, and should be able to cook if the pocket remains clean. Rodgers is completing 76% of his throws when kept clean this season, for 1,333 yards and 13 TD.

PIT Steelers vs LA Chargers Spread

Before making any Sunday Night Football wager, be sure to consult the best football betting apps. The bulk of the commercial books are listing Pittsburgh as +2.5 point underdogs, but you can still get a +3 at -118 odds on DraftKings as of Saturday night.

Odds as of Nov. 8. New customers can claim the Bet365 promo code and get a bonus to bet on SNF.

Per the NFL public betting percentages, there’s no coach you’d rather be betting as an underdog than Mike Tomlin. Over the course of his career, Tomlin’s Steelers are 41-21-3 against the spread as an underdog of 3 points or more. Pittsburgh is also 11-1-1 ATS in those scenarios when its opponent has a winning percentage of 60% or higher, covering by 10+ points.