WHEN STEELERS HAVE THE BALL
Key performers: DE Joey Bosa, DE Melvin Ingram, NT Brandon Mebane, OLB Uchenna Nwosu, SS Derwin James, CB Desmond King II.
Who’s hot (or not): Bosa will be making his third start after missing the first nine games with a foot injury. He combines with Ingram to form one of the best sack tandems in the league. Bosa has 25 sacks in 30 career games, including two last week in a game against the Cardinals; Ingram has 34½ sacks in his past 59 games. They combined for 23 sacks in 2017.
What’s been working: James appears to be a lock for defensive rookie of the year. The 17th overall selection in the draft does just about everything as a box safety for the Chargers. He leads the team with 82 tackles and has 3½ sacks, two interceptions and 10 passes defensed. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, James has the size to challenge tight ends and the speed to cover RBs and WRs.
Game plan: Since Week 5, the Chargers are among the league leaders in scoring defense, allowing just 14.1 points per game. They had given up an average of 30 points in their first four games, but that was because they played the Chiefs and Rams, two of the league’s highest-scoring teams. The Chargers want to limit Ben Roethlisberger’s possessions and take away his big plays.
Keep an eye on: King, the team’s nickel back, to see if he will line up on JuJu Smith-Schuster. King leads the team with three interceptions, including a 42-yard TD return against Seattle, and is a big, physical corner who typically plays in the slot. But the Steelers have been using Smith-Schuster on the outside more in the past two games. It would be a good, physical matchup.