My Philip Rivers Blog

The reigning Super Bowl champs are reeling, and there appears to be no end in sight as Pittsburgh (-6.5) hosts a San Diego Chargers team that will go big or go home. Literally.

The Chargers have flown out to a 2-1 start thanks mostly to Philip Rivers and, more specifically, his right arm. With just under 1000 passing yards through the first three games of the season, Rivers has taken on the lions share of the offensive responsibility, accounting for 86% of the total offense, as well as having 1 of San Diego's 3 rushing touchdowns this year. Needless to say, when Rivers is on (and he has been of late), the Chargers are a tough team to beat.

Meanwhile, all has not been well in Steeler nation. After dropping a hard fought contest in the final seconds to Chicago, Pittsburgh once again couldn't come up with a solid 60 minute effort, giving up 14 unanswered fourth quarter points to move to 1-2 with a loss in Cincinnati. For a team known for its defense supremacy, this Steelers team has shown little if any likeness of the swagger they carried during their Super Bowl run only a year ago.

Which brings us to Sunday in Steeler city. What makes this match up so compelling is the fact that one of these teams will be forced to rise to their respective occasion. While San Diego has been rattling off yards effortlessly, they've converted only one touchdown in 11 trips to the red zone due mostly in part to their complete lack of a rushing attack as Ladanian Tomlinson has been held out from yet another injury suffered in week 1. On the other hand, Pittsburgh has been less focused on finishing drives and more concerned on their inability to close out games. In their two losses, the Steelers have lost by a total of 6 points, but have been outscored in the fourth quarter 24-0 combined.

Something has to give, whether it is a stumbling offense or a fading defense. At first glance, San Diego appears to have the edge. On top of their potent passing, running back Darren Sproles has shown glimpses of breaking out as a solid replacement for Tomlinson despite the fact that most of his yards are accrued on kick returns. If he is able to draw the defense in with some consecutive positive carries, San Diego will be primed to establish a balanced attack with unlimited potential.

The only discrepancy with this is the fact that they are playing Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh. Now, I've never been one to put much stock in home field advantage, but this type of defensive inefficiency isn't something the Steeler faithful will let happen on their watch. Look for Roethlisberger, the newly revived corpse of Willie Parker, and a ton of terrible towels to give the defense the leeway it needs to gut out a tight one Sunday night. It won't be pretty, but it will get the job done. Stay classy, San Diego.

Final Score: 23 - 21 Pittsburgh

Matt Sweet is an up and coming sports journalist who is directly collaborating with http://www.superpredictors.com