Justin Herbert, Chargers Top Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers on Late Mike Williams TD
November 22, 2021
The Los Angeles Chargers bounced back from a 27-20 loss to the Minnesota Vikings with a 41-37 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night to move to 6-4 on the season.
The Chargers are second in the AFC West behind the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers drop to 5-4-1 and fall to third in the AFC North behind the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
Notable Stats
Justin Herbert, QB, LAC: 30/41 for 382 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT and 9 CAR for 90 YDS
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT: 28/44 for 273 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT
Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC: 11 CAR for 50 YDS, 2 TD and 6 REC for 65 YDS, 2 TD
Najee Harris, RB, PIT: 12 CAR for 39 YDS, 1 TD and 5 REC for 20 YDS
Keenan Allen, WR, LAC: 9 REC for 112 YDS
Diontae Johnson, WR, PIT: 7 REC for 101 YDS, 1 TD
Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler Dominant for Chargers
It was all Herbert and Ekeler for the Chargers on Sunday night, which should come as little surprise.
After L.A.'s defense held Roethlisberger and the Steelers to a field goal on their opening drive, Herbert and Co. charged down the field and Ekeler punched in a touchdown to give the Chargers the lead.
On their next possession, Ekeler scored his second touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Herbert to put the Chargers up 14-3, and they tacked on a field goal to take a 17-10 lead into halftime.
Herbert and Ekeler started the second half in similar fashion. The duo hooked up for a 17-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the third quarter to take a 24-10 lead.
The duo combined for one more touchdown drive to help the Chargers outlast the Steelers, who nearly completed the upset with 27 points in the final frame before Herbert hit Mike Williams for a late score.
NFL @NFLDUAL-THREAT HERBERT. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoltUp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoltUp</a><br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PITvsLAC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PITvsLAC</a> on NBC<br>📱: <a href="https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv">https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv</a> <a href="https://t.co/JBnoPsbL8N">pic.twitter.com/JBnoPsbL8N</a>
NFL @NFLFour touchdowns?! <a href="https://twitter.com/AustinEkeler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AustinEkeler</a> single-handedly winning <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLFantasy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFLFantasy</a> matchups. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoltUp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoltUp</a><br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PITvsLAC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PITvsLAC</a> on NBC<br>📱: <a href="https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv">https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv</a> <a href="https://t.co/3skd4gVkox">pic.twitter.com/3skd4gVkox</a>
NFL @NFLCHARGERS ANSWER WITH A 53-YARD SCORE TO TAKE THE LEAD! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoltUp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoltUp</a><br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PITvsLAC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PITvsLAC</a> on NBC<br>📱: <a href="https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv">https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv</a> <a href="https://t.co/AEhE558oSg">pic.twitter.com/AEhE558oSg</a>
To put L.A.'s offensive performance into context, the team entered Sunday averaging 270 passing yards per game and 100.2 rushing yards per game. Herbert finished with 382 passing yards against Pittsburgh, and the team had 159 yards on the ground.
Also of note is the performance of wide receiver Keenan Allen, who compiled nine catches for 112 yards. While he didn't have a touchdown, he helped the Chargers move the sticks.
Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers Offense Struggle Early
Roethlisberger and Co. had a rough start against the Chargers.
On their first drive, the Steelers had to settle for a field goal, a common theme Sunday night. On the following drive, Mike Tomlin went for it on 4th-and-goal at the Chargers' 2-yard line, but the team turned it over on downs.
The best moment of the first half for the Steelers came when Roethlisberger hit Diontae Johnson for a 10-yard touchdown to narrow L.A.'s lead to 14-10 in the second quarter.
The Steelers offense had a much better second half, and a blocked punt in the fourth quarter set up Roethlisberger and Co. in prime scoring position.
However, Pittsburgh would've gone four-and-out if not for a defensive pass interference call. That call negated an interception and gave the Steelers a new set of downs at the L.A. 1-yard line. Running back Najee Harris punched it in to make it a 27-20 game.
After the teams traded touchdowns, Cameron Heyward and Cameron Sutton teamed up for an interception. Roethlisberger and Co. turned that turnover into a Pat Freiermuth touchdown to tie the game 34-34 with 4:23 remaining in the fourth quarter.
NFL @NFLPittsburgh gets the ball back! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HereWeGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HereWeGo</a><br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PITvsLAC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PITvsLAC</a> on NBC<br>📱: <a href="https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv">https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv</a> <a href="https://t.co/FBeUL0XELL">pic.twitter.com/FBeUL0XELL</a>
NFL @NFLBig Ben hits his rookie TE <a href="https://twitter.com/pat_fry5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pat_fry5</a> to tie the game! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HereWeGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HereWeGo</a><br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PITvsLAC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PITvsLAC</a> on NBC<br>📱: <a href="https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv">https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv</a> <a href="https://t.co/IbYmPTMbOa">pic.twitter.com/IbYmPTMbOa</a>
The Steelers took a 37-34 lead less than a minute later, but Herbert threw a 53-yard touchdown to Mike Williams on the subsequent drive. The Chargers defense sacked Roethlisberger twice on the following possession to force another four-and-out.
The Pittsburgh offense needs to get out to better starts if the Steelers have hopes of making the playoffs.
What's Next?
The Chargers will face the Denver Broncos on the road next weekend, while the Steelers will travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals.