Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers are preparing to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Week 10 “Sunday Night Football” clash.
The contest could end up being one of Herbert’s toughest tests of the season thus far.
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That may seem strange considering the Steelers defense hasn’t been a top-tier unit in 2025. They rank just 13th in defensive EPA per play and have allowed a league-high 278.3 passing yards per game.
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa’s effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa’s effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: The New England Patriots’ Robert Spillane (14) and Christian Elliss (53) tackle Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Raiders won the game, 20-13.
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) fumbles the ball on a tackle by Washington Commanders safety Will Harris (3) during the first quarter at Northwest Stadium. It was a rough Giants debut for Wilson (17 of 37 passing for 168 yards) as the Commanders won the game, 21-6.
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Fireworks go off before the NFL Kickoff Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles opened the season with a 24-20 victory over their longtime NFC East rivals.
Those numbers may indicate an easier-looking matchup for Herbert, but there is one thing at which Pittsburgh remains elite: generating pressure.
That could spell trouble for Herbert, who entered Week 10 as the NFL’s most pressured quarterback.
Why Justin Herbert has been under a lot of pressure
Herbert was pressured a whopping 165 times over the season’s first nine weeks, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, good for 30 more than second-ranked Cam Ward (135). The Chargers quarterback’s personal 43.4% pressure rate ranked behind only Jacoby Brissett (48.1%) and Justin Fields (46.7%), both of whom entered Week 10 with half as many dropbacks as Herbert.
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Why has Herbert been pressured so often? Part of the problem is his penchant for holding onto the ball. His 2.92-second time to throw ranks sixth-highest in the league, and has allowed opposing pass rushers enough time to win their battles at the line of scrimmage and get after him.
Herbert’s offensive line has also been part of the problem in 2025. The unit has been banged up, particularly at the tackle position, where left-side starter Rashawn Slater was lost for the season before it began, while his replacement, right tackle Joe Alt, was in and out of the lineup because of an ankle injury.
Add in that right guard Mekhi Becton has dealt with a nagging knee injury that has caused him to miss time and it’s easy to understand why the Chargers rank 29th overall in ESPN’s Pass Block Win Rate metric.
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Despite frequent pressure, Herbert has allowed only 17% of his pressures to turn into sacks. However, it’s also worth noting his passer rating drops from 106.6 when kept clean to 78.1 when pressured, while his completion percentage declines from 79% to 47%, per Pro Football Focus.
That drop in efficiency can make a significant difference for any team that can consistently pressure Herbert.
Why Steelers figure to get pressure on Justin Herbert
The Steelers profile as such a team. Thus far in 2025, Pittsburgh has logged 125 total quarterback pressures, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That’s good for the fifth-most in the NFL and third-most among teams to play eight or fewer games.
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Pittsburgh’s pass-rush is well-balanced. It’s led by T.J. Watt, but Nick Herbig actually leads the team in overall pressures, with 29 compared to Watt’s 28. The Steelers also have Alex Highsmith, Cam Heyward and first-round rookie Derrick Harmon as part of their rotation while linebacker Patrick Queen has a personnel pressure rate of 22%, most on the team among players with at least five pressures.
The Steelers’ pass rush has shown in recent weeks that it can beat even the NFL’s best offensive lines. Last week against the Colts, Pittsburgh sacked Daniel Jones a season-high five times and forced him into five turnovers.
The Chargers’ shaky offensive line is a far cry from the rock-solid unit sported by the Colts. Los Angeles’ unit has been reshuffled countless times and will undergo another massive change, as Alt is officially out for the season after ankle surgery.
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Starting at left tackle for Los Angeles figures to be Jamaree Salyer – who has primarily played guard during his time with the team – while Trey Pipkins will man the right tackle spot if Bobby Hart (groin) can’t suit up.
None of the outside blocking options inspires much confidence. So, unless Herbert enters Sunday night’s game with a plan to get the ball out of his hands faster than usual, the Steelers should get plenty of chances to disrupt his rhythm and force him into some mistakes.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside Justin Herbert’s tough matchup vs. Steelers on ‘SNF’
