Pittsburgh Steelers: Three players who stood out in loss to the Chargers

Javon Hargrave

It’s a little contradictory to name two defensive players in this list when the defense looked so bad, but this guy deserves a nod.

When Stephon Tuitt went out with an injury a couple weeks ago, Hargrave has stepped his game up big time. He has been a force up front for the Steelers. The case was the same Sunday night against the Chargers.

The Chargers couldn’t run the ball at all in the first half and Hargrave was a huge reason for that. He was constantly getting great pushes on the play, helping the Steelers win the line of scrimmage battle early on.

Hargrave also recorded a sack in the game. The particular play could have been listed as a coverage sack (with how long Philip Rivers held onto the ball), but with his play tonight, Hargrave deserved to have something nice to put on the stat sheet.

Hargrave centers the Steelers’ defensive line, which is the only bright spot in this defense right now. If the secondary can turn things around, the Steelers will be even better off, but having a great defensive line is always a good thing. Hargrave is a key component to that line.