“It will be a great fight”: Mike Tomlin is ready for sparring with the Chargers

When the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers face off at Acrisure Stadium tomorrow afternoon, it will be a clash of identical styles. Both teams are determined to run the football and play strong defense, which is what makes tomorrow's game so interesting.

Since both teams' strengths are exactly the same, it might be tempting to switch up the style and attack the Chargers through the passing attack, but Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin won't do that. Instead, he's excited to face an opponent similar to the Steelers and wants to impose Pittsburgh's style.

“Styles make fights, and this game is going to have some intensity, and probably the team that breaks through their personality first is the team that's at a disadvantage,” Tomlin said on The Mike Tomlin Show in a clip posted on YouTube. “We've got to be the Steelers. We expect them to be the Chargers, but styles make fights, as they say in the boxing world, and this is going to be a great fight.”

Even though we're only two games into the season, the statistical similarities between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles are absurd. The Chargers and Steelers rank one and two, respectively, in opponents' points per game, with Los Angeles allowing just 6.5 points per game and the Steelers just eight. Additionally, the Steelers and Chargers rank in the top five in run attempts, with the Steelers ranking first at 38.5 runs per game and the Chargers ranking fifth at 35.5.

Given QB Just Herbert's ankle injury, Los Angeles could be running even more than usual tomorrow. Although Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said Herbert is doing everything he can to be able to play, his range of motion will likely be limited even if he does play. In pictures from the Chargers' practice sessions that have surfaced, Herbert's ankle is heavily bandaged. It would make sense if the Chargers, if he does play, would limit the possibility of Herbert having to run away from pass rushers TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith and instead run a lot with JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards.

The Steelers and Chargers are so similar stylistically that Tomlin said whoever deviates from their personalities will likely be at a disadvantage. Tomlin and Harbaugh have constructed their teams this way because they believe it's the way they can be most successful. It's hard to disagree with them, too, considering both teams are off to a 2-0 start.

On Sunday afternoon, it might feel like we've hopped in a time machine to the 1990s. While not everyone likes that brand of football, Tomlin and Harbaugh revel in it, leading to a great heavyweight battle tomorrow between two teams trying to prove they're a real threat in the AFC.