Three things to know about the Pittsburgh Steelers next opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers

The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Los Angeles Chargers for their home opener on Sunday in a battle of undefeated teams. In what might remind fans of Big 10 football, these teams love to run the ball and play good defense.

Their similarities are astounding in an age of the NFL that is focused on passing the football more than the smashmouth run game. Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt said that he expected a 'smashmouth' game , which is what the teams would like to get.

Here are three things to know about the Chargers:

New defense, same Jesse Minter

The Los Angeles Chargers brought Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to the NFL with Jim Harbaugh. Minter runs the most Cover 6 in the NFL, which starts with the safety and cornerback playing quarters to one side of the field, meaning they each control one-fourth of the field. On the other side, the safety and cornerback will play Cover 2, which is the traditional high-safety. The cornerback can play man coverage or filter that player to the safety.

It allows defenses to take away top weapons. The Chargers did this in Week 1 with Davante Adams. Pittsburgh will try to foil that with George Pickens. Since they play Cover 6, which has two high safeties, the Chargers play with the lightest boxes in the NFL, yet they have one of the best-run defenses in the league through two weeks.

That is a unique combination, but it speaks to the Chargers' front seven's playing well through two weeks. Can the Steelers knock the Chargers out of Cover 6 and have them roll down the extra safety? If they can, that might open up chances for Pickens.

Minter also uses many different fronts. He often runs a 5-0 front, which is what it sounds like. That means five defensive linemen are down, and each player has a one-on-one matchup. The Steelers will probably keep one or two players in at all times to help protect Justin Fields, but the Chargers could experiment with different twists and fronts to make things harder for Fields to scramble.

Run the Rock....but is it a mirage?

Any Jim Harbaugh team is going to run the ball. In fact, the Chargers have just telegraphed it all offseason. They signed JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards, converted former defensive lineman Scott Matlock to fullback at 300 pounds, and have beefed up their offensive line by drafting Joe Alt in the first round.

That is not to mention hiring former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman. The Chargers would be it if the Ravens had a West Coast team. This is going to remind fans a lot of AFC North football.

The Chargers have run for 198 yards per game, but it is laden with explosive plays. Dobbins is the league's most efficient running back, breaking .33 tackles per touch, the best mark in the NFL through two weeks. Edwards is on the opposite side of the spectrum. So, stopping Dobbins is the real key.

The Chargers rank 28th in rushing success rate, though, at just 35 percent successful runs. If the Steelers can contain the explosive runs, they should be able to keep pace. No one has more rushing yards over expectation than the Chargers, and that speaks to Dobbins' impact.

Get after the Quarterback

The Chargers offense has not allowed Justin Herbert to open the offense fully. He might not get to do that this week, either. Herbert is dealing with a high ankle sprain, which can throw a wrench into things.

However, when they dropped back to pass, the Chargers' pass protection was not that good, particularly from the interior. The Steelers, while rushing just four, have the highest pressure rate in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Chargers are 27th in pressure rate allowed. If Pittsburgh can slow down the run game, this is a hidden weakness that the Steelers could exploit.

The Chargers can do the same. Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa should be able to work against a Steelers tackle duo that has allowed the sixth-most pressures in the NFL to this point. Whichever front wins more, likely will win this game.

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