The Pittsburgh Steelers got their doors blown off on Sunday Night Football by the Los Angeles Chargers. Pittsburgh's 25-10 loss was perhaps its ugliest loss of the season. An unmotivated Arthur Smith-led offense was unable to stay on the field for long periods of time. It recorded just 221 total yards and 10 points, with a garbage-time touchdown coming late in the fourth quarter. That inability to move the ball and score points also hurt the Steelers' defense, which was coming off such a strong performance in Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Nick Smith / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers tries to evade pressure against the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2025 season.
Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin's unit allowed 314 total yards and 23 points to the Chargers. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers got sacked for a safety in the first half of the loss, which was an extremely odd play. It was the fifth game of the season in which Pittsburgh's defense surrendered at least 23 points and over 300 yards of total offense.
Furthermore, Los Angeles was able to rush for 115 yards on the ground. While speaking with the Pittsburgh media after the loss, Head Coach Mike Tomlin blamed the defense's struggles against the run on his own offense during his post-game press conference.
"[The defense] was just on the grass too long. We didn't convert enough third downs [on offense]. The time of possession was what it was. Collectives and individuals wear down when you're not standing up."
Tomlin's answer is the perfect reason for why the sport of football is a total team sport. If one side of the football is struggling, the other side can only be so successful. On Sunday night, the clear weakness of the Steelers was their offense. It converted just two third downs on 11 attempts and had nearly 20 less plays than the Chargers. Additionally, Rodgers was sacked three times and the offense turned the ball over a total of three times.
At the end of the game, the Chargers' time of possession was 37:35 while the Steelers finished up at 22:25. That is not going to get it done in the NFL. It is very clear that the offense has a lot of work to do if it wants to become formidable down the stretch.
Nick Smith / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Jaylen Warren fights through tacklers during a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025.
Steelers Did Not Have Many Positives On Sunday Night
Perhaps the most positive thing for the Steelers on Sunday night was the pass rush. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was sacked five times, including twice by Alex Highsmith and once by TJ Watt, but that was about it.
Nothing on offense or defense was eye-popping. Star wideout DK Metcalf was the leading receiver as he caught just three passes for 35 yards. Veteran linebacker Patrick Queen was the only defender to record at least 10 total tackles. While there were some okay individual performances, nothing jumped off the page for Tomlin and Pittsburgh.
Nick Smith / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers linebacker TJ Watt fights off blocks during Pittsburgh's 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10 of the 2025 NFL Season.
This deflating performance from the Steelers was a tough pill to swallow for the fans from the Steel City. Now, their team is just a game ahead of the red-hot Baltimore Ravens, who have won three games in a row to get to a record of 4-5. It seems as if this has been a story that Steelers fans have had to relive over and over again in recent years. While this team continues to be consistent and relevant, it never looks to be terribly dangerous.
There is a reason why the franchise hasn't won a playoff game in close to a decade. The offense is starting to become predictable and the defense is aging. It is starting to feel like this could be the last stand for a couple of figures in Pittsburgh if the season isn't turned around. One of those obvious people could very well be Tomlin. That narrative continues to get stronger with another stale performance in prime time.
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