The Los Angeles Chargers have a very Baltimore Ravens-like feel to them, thanks to the Harbaugh connection. Both Chargers running backs are former Ravens in J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Tight end Hayden Hurst and center Bradley Bozeman also are former Ravens.
Head Coach Jim Harbaugh also brought Greg Roman with him to L.A. to be the Chargers offensive coordinator. Roman was the OC with John Harbaugh in Baltimore from 2019-2022.
Through two games, Dobbins leads the league with 266 rushing yards and is the first player since San Francisco’s Garrison Hearst in 1998 to have 130 rushing yards and a touchdown run in each of his team’s first two games. The Chargers lead the league in percentage of total yardage from runs (59.4%), while the Steelers rank third at 53.4%, according to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football. Sunday’s matchup is expected to be an old-school, smashmouth bout.
Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen was with the Ravens for the first four years of his NFL career, so he’s very familiar with Roman’s scheme and Dobbins.
“I love J.K. Still one of my best friends, still talk to him to this day. He’s just a great guy, a great player,” Queen said on Wednesday. “I’m happy to see him getting back to himself, but as far as me, I want to shut that down. He’s the leading rusher right now, so just being able to go out there and shut him down would give me bragging rights and help this team win.
“He’s got everything. He’s got vision. He’s got the speed. He’s got the burst. He’s just all around a good back. He can do every single thing on the field, and I think people might have underestimated him this year, knowing that he had the injuries.”
The Steelers defense has allowed only 76.5 yards per game on the ground, the fourth-fewest in the league. Both teams possess elite defenses. The Chargers have the top-ranked scoring defense (6.5 points per game) and the second-ranked total defense (227.5 yards per game). The Steelers are the second-ranked scoring defense (8 points per game) and fourth in total defense (270.5 yards per game).
“Most definitely. You look at that challenge and you wanna attack it,” Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts said. “These guys are running the ball and they’re running it well. It’s going to be a 60 minute game.”
Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. thinks the Chargers’ offense is a carbon copy of what he saw from Michigan when he played at Penn State.
“Michigan. It feels like Michigan when I was watching the tape,” Porter said. “I’m kinda getting excited because of the old rivalry I had at Penn State. I’m just ready for all of it, really.
“They’re two familiar backs that we’ve seen in the past from them being with Baltimore. So we just got to get after them. We know they’re tendencies. We know their weaknesses.”
