There was a point in the second half of the Steelers-Chargers game Sunday where it sure felt like the Chargers defense wasn't having much fun out there. It seemed like the entire unit was looking at the clock and counting down the minutes until they could get back on the bus to the airport to take their flight home to sunny California. It wasn't an illusion, either, as I won't go as far as saying the Chargers quit, but it was clear they didn't have the same effort and energy as they did in the first half.
There is a reason for that, too, and it is because the Steelers offensive line had worn them down, imposed their will on the game and then feasted on the Chargers once they smelled blood in the water. "Playing physical football, that's what we are trying to do," said tackle Dan Moore Jr. in the locker room after the game.
"You could definitely tell [we wore them down]. It was clear to the offensive line that [the Chargers] were just done. "I think it was that first drive coming out of the half, that first long drive that we had, we didn't finish with a touchdown but we put three points on the board.
I think at that moment we felt the energy shifting, and then obviously our defense feeding off of that, it just felt like it was going our way." Many think what the Steelers are doing on offense is dull, boring and borderline unwatchable. I understand that sentiment, as watching a team grind away with the run game and take very few chances in the passing game in today's pass-happ.