It will be a battle between teams without their starting running backs on Sunday evening when the Los Angeles Chargers travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only difference is that we know that the Steelers can thrive without Le’Veon Bell, but can the Chargers get by without Melvin Gordon carrying the load? Sunday’s game is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC (live streaming via FuboTV, NBC Sports).
Chargers vs. Steelers 2018 live stream: Time, TV schedule, and how to watch online
Backup running backs will try and carry their teams to victory on Sunday night when the Chargers face the Steelers.
Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
Bell has been away from the team all season while he lobbies for a better contract and job security, while James Conner has been effectively used in his absence. Conner has 849 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground while catching 49 passes for 453 yards and a touchdown. This season, Gordon has rushed for 802 yards and nine touchdowns and has caught 44 passes for 453 yards and four more scores.
Second-year pro Austin Ekeler will be the primary ball-carrier for the Chargers. In 11 games this season, he’s carried the ball 70 times for 409 yards and a touchdown, an impressive 5.8 yards per carry.
The Steelers sit atop the AFC North with a 7-3-1 record, but they’re coming off a 24-17 loss to the Broncos, which snapped a six-game winning streak. The Chargers are 8-3 and in second place in the AFC West, and are coming off a 45-10 win over the Cardinals. Prior to that, they had their own six-game winning streak snapped in a 23-22 loss to the Broncos.
Below is all you need to know to watch the action on Sunday.
Time, TV, and streaming info
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Penn.
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: FuboTV, NBC Sports
- Odds: The Chargers opened as 3.5-point underdogs to the Steelers, and the line has narrowed on some books, according to OddsShark.
Chargers vs. Steelers news
- One of the more notable topics for the Steelers centers around quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his willingness to call out his teammates publicly. Roethlisberger said he believes he has “earned the right” to do so.
- And as the folks at Behind The Steel Curtain write, Roethlisberger publicly rebuking a teammate is nothing new, unfortunately.
- Wide receiver James Washington was one who received plenty of mouth from Roethlisberger, but he says he isn’t lacking for confidence, but that he simply misjudged a specific catch against the Broncos.
- Also from BTSC, five Steelers players who need to step up in a big way against the Chargers on Sunday.
- On the injury front, the Steelers had seven players miss practice on Wednesday. Marcus Gilbert may be in line for missing his sixth consecutive game.
- For the Chargers, Melvin Gordon is expected to miss multiple games.
- The folks at Bolts From The Blue ask: how big is the loss of Melvin Gordon?
- Also, don’t forget to listen to the latest podcast from our Chargers blog, in which they discuss the Steelers and the playoff implications of Sunday’s game.
- With Gordon injured, the Chargers signed running back Troymaine Pope to the practice squad.
Chargers vs. Steelers prediction
In the latest SB Nation expert NFL picks, five of the seven picking think the Steelers will win, leaving just two picking the Chargers. The OddsShark computer is also going with Pittsburgh, while the coin flip also landed on the Steelers.
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