Steelers likely to be without two star defenders vs Chargers in Week 11

The Pittsburgh Steelers are running into a string of bad luck. Here’s why they could be without two of their best defenders against the Chargers on Sunday Night Football. 

The Steelers certainly aren’t in a position where they can feel comfortable despite being without a few of their best players for any length of time. After tying the Detroit Lions in Week 10, Mike Tomlin’s team currently sits on a 5-3-1 record.

If the season ended today, this would be good enough for a Wild Card spot in the AFC playoff picture. However, Pittsburgh has a daunting schedule down the stretch and it won’t be easy to come out on top in many of these contests.

To make matters worse, Steelers Nation held their breath as T.J. Watt went down clutching his left knee on Sunday afternoon. The prognosis was both a hip and knee injury. Fortunately, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed that the MRI on Watt’s knee came back negative today, but noted that he is very sore:

After hobbling off the field in such pain, it seems very unlikely that Watt will be able to suit up for Pittsburgh’s Sunday Night Football matchup against the Chargers in Los Angeles. This could be a devastating blow to the team.

Sadly, he’s not the only star Steelers defender who could be absent for this contest. On Monday evening, Schefter also confirmed that safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has tested positive for COVID and has been placed on the Reserve-COVID list:

How will the Steelers perform without top defensive players?

Minkah Fitzpatrick hasn’t been as dominant this year as he has been in the past, but losing him could be a massive loss for this football team in Week 11. Though it’s mathematically possible that he could clear protocol before Sunday’s game against the Chargers, the Steelers would be wise to plan as if he will not be there.

Defensively, Pittsburgh has already been without Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu. Adding prominent players like T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick to this list makes this a really tough matchup for the Steelers defense this week.

Justin Herbert has been up and down this year at times but has had a really strong performance overall. Though his first 9 games of 2021, he has passed for 7.2 yards per attempt to go with 19 touchdowns and a respectable 96.3 passer rating, via Pro Football Reference.

Pass defense was the strength of Pittsburgh’s team in Week 10 against the Lions, but going from Jared Goff to Herbert is no easy contest. Without Watt to generate constant pressure and without the threat of Minkah playing the ‘robber’ role in the secondary, Herbert could have a field day.

Obviously, we are hoping that the Steelers are able to escape with the road victory on Sunday Night Football, but this is a contest that will certainly favor the Chargers. Let’s hope Pittsburgh can hold down the fort for now.