The Steelers backfield was completely destroyed by a former Chargers All-Pro

The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 3 as one of nine teams with an undefeated record. The Steelers are preparing for a battle of the undefeated teams against the Los Angeles Chargers. With new head coach Jim Harbaugh at the helm, the Chargers have reinvented themselves as a mirror image of the Steelers: a team that relies on a strong running game and a stout defense. Two of the NFL's best defenses will be tasked with making an impact against offenses that are finally looking to get going.

The Black and Gold will have Justin Fields at quarterback for the third consecutive season while Russell Wilson continues to rehabilitate his calf issues. The team will also be without rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, who sat out Saturday with a knee injury he suffered late in preseason. That means the team will have to rely on second-year tackle Broderick Jones, who was benched for Fautanu as he recovers from his poor performance against the Denver Broncos. The goal will be to open up the running game.

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has relied on his young offensive line and solid running game in 2024 to stay ahead of the chains and put the offense in a position to dominate time of possession. It didn't look clean at times, but progress continued week to week. Despite that progress, former Chargers All-Pro fullback Lorenzo Neal expressed doubts about the running backs' ability to take over games.

“When you watch Najee Harris run for the Steelers, their running game is nothing special to me. They don't have the ability to make big plays. If you tackle him and keep him in the box, Najee will run up and try to run fast, but they don't scare me. They're not game-winning or playmaking backs. They run OK.”

While it has fit perfectly into Smith's game plan, the 2024 Steelers have yet to record a 100-yard runner. This is thanks to the fact that the Steelers have 278 yards rushing as a team and average 3.6 yards per carry. It's interesting that despite finishing second in the NFL with 77 rushing attempts on Sunday, the Steelers have yet to have that dominant moment this season. As chemistry improves, the hope is that the offense can finally take off and carry the team for the first time this season. For that to happen, however, the Steelers will need the help of their running backs to go from good to great.

Steelers' offseason decisions get an explanation

In the 2024 offseason, head coach Mike Tomlin not only invested in the offensive line, the team also decided to decline the five-year option of former first-round pick Najee Harris. The move came as a surprise to Steelers fans, who had watched Harris become the first player in Steelers history to record 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first three seasons. However, through two games, Harris failed to place himself in the upper echelon of NFL rushers. Harris enters Week 3 as the league's 17th-leading rusher, although he ranks seventh in runs. For Harris to earn a contract extension this offseason, he will need to be successful in a scheme built around the run and play-action passing game.

It will be a tough matchup for the Steelers on Sunday, as the Chargers expect Justin Herbert to play despite the high ankle sprain he suffered last week against the Carolina Panthers. Regardless of who plays quarterback, the Black and Gold know they have a chance to establish themselves as one of the best teams in the AFC if they can pull off a win. Harris and Jaylen Warren have faced a lot of criticism throughout the offseason, but in another matchup that will require their best, the two will once again have to tune out the outside noise and work on becoming more efficient as a unit.