The Steelers had every reason to pack it in after falling behind by 17 points near the end of the third quarter Sunday night against the Chargers.
But just when it appeared that Pittsburgh would leave Los Angeles with a win, Justin Herbert exploited a mistake made by the Steelers’ secondary that resulted in the game-winning score.
He threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter on Sunday night that included a game-tying score to Pat Freiermuth with 4:23 remaining.
Specifically, the interior of Pittsburgh’s line continues to struggle to open up holes for Najee Harris, who finished the game with just 39 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
Johnson, who was motivated to atone for his fumble in overtime during last week’s tie against Detroit, caught seven passes for 101 yards and a touchdown on Sunday night.
Claypool, who missed last week’s game with a toe injury, caught five passes for 93 yards against the Chargers.
Led by Joe Schobert and Devin Bush, the group failed to make enough plays against Austin Ekeler and Herbert, who ran for a combined 140 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
It was a frustrating night for the Steelers’ Pro Bowl defensive lineman, who spent most of the night fighting through double teams. But Pittsburgh’s defensive captain still found a way to make a big play late in the game.
The unit, which has been without Stephon Tuitt all season and Tyson Alualu since the second week of the season, has struggled to stop the run in recent weeks.
Ebron had his most productive game of the season against the Chargers, as he caught each of his three targets that included his first touchdown of the season.
Pittsburgh, which ranked 18th in the NFL in red zone efficiency coming into the game, had to settle for two field goals on two of their seven drives inside the Chargers’ 20-yard-line.
But while the Bengals — Pittsburgh’s next opponent — moved ahead of the Steelers by a half-game in the AFC North division standings, the Steelers stayed ahead of the 6-5 Browns by virtue of their .550 winning percentage.
Harris was not mentioned as part of Mike Tomlin’s post game injury rundown, so he should be fine for the Steelers’ upcoming game against the Bengals.