Pittsburgh Steelers come off bye for rare road meeting with Los Angeles Rams

PITTSBURGH (3-2) at LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-3)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, Fox

BETTING LINE: Rams by 3, according to FanDuel SportsBook

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Steelers 3-2; Rams 3-1-2.

SERIES RECORD: Rams lead 15-10-2.

LAST MEETING: Steelers beat Rams 17-12 on Nov. 10, 2019, in Pittsburgh.

LAST WEEK: Steelers had bye, beat Ravens 17-10 on Oct. 8; Rams beat Cardinals 26-9.

STEELERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (30), RUSH (28), PASS (27), SCORING (30)

STEELERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (30), RUSH (29), PASS (25), SCORING (20)

RAMS OFFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (17), PASS (6), SCORING (12)

RAMS DEFENSE: OVERALL (13), RUSH (22), PASS (13), SCORING (11T)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Steelers plus-5; Rams minus-1

STEELERS PLAYER TO WATCH: LB T.J. Watt. The All-Pro edge rusher's eight sacks through five games are well ahead of his pace in 2021 when he tied Michael Strahan's NFL record with 22 1/2 and won Defensive Player of the Year. Watt has also swatted down four passes, forced three fumbles, recovered two and scored a touchdown. With Pittsburgh's offense a perpetual work in progress, the defense will likely need to force a turnover — probably more than one. Perhaps no defensive player in the league can swing a game's momentum as quickly as Watt.

RAMS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Zach Evans. The rookie sixth-round pick got his first NFL carries late in the win over Arizona, netting 10 yards on four attempts. After Kyren Williams (ankle) and Ronnie Rivers (knee) sustained injuries that will keep them out against the Steelers, Evans could get his first meaningful work alongside veterans Royce Freeman, Darrell Henderson Jr. and Myles Gaskin.

KEY MATCHUP: Rams WR Cooper Kupp and Puca Nacua vs. Steelers CB Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace. Pittsburgh has not fared well in coverage this season. Davante Adams shredded them for 13 catches, 172 yards and two touchdowns. San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel combined for 13 grabs, 184 yards and two scores. And Nico Collins had 168 of Houston’s 312 yards for a Texans passing game that isn’t anywhere near the level of what QB Matthew Stafford and his top targets can produce. If Peterson and Wallace can’t be sticky enough to give the fierce Steelers pass rush time to generate pressure, it could be another long day. Pittsburgh could also opt to give 6-foot-2 rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. extended playing time to match him up with the 6-2 Nacua, allowing Peterson to play nickel instead.

KEY INJURIES: The Steelers are relatively healthy coming out of their bye. WR Diontae Johnson was activated off injured reserve on Saturday after missing four games with a right hamstring injury. LT Dan Moore Jr. (knee) should also play, though rookie first-round pick Broderick Jones played well in making his first start against the Ravens. P Pressley Harvin (hamstring) should play for the first time since Week 3. Pittsburgh had hoped to have starting tight end Pat Freiermuth but he aggravated a hamstring injury during the week and was placed on injured reserve Saturday. … Rivers was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, ruling him out for at least the next four games. Williams has a cast on his left ankle and is definitely out this week.

SERIES NOTES: The Rams have dominated as the home team in the series, posting a 11-2-1 record. … This will be the Steelers’ first game against the Rams in Los Angeles since they returned to the West Coast in 2016. Pittsburgh has split two games against the Chargers in Los Angeles in front of decidedly pro-Steelers crowds. … Pittsburgh has won the past four games in the series dating to 2007. ... The Steelers have yet to beat the Los Angeles Rams when the franchise is based in LA (0-10).

STATS AND STUFF: The Steelers are 22-12 all-time coming off a bye and have won six straight after their off week since 2017. Pittsburgh is 11-9 all-time on the road after a bye, including a 6-3 mark under head coach Mike Tomlin ... This is the Steelers' second visit to SoFi Stadium. Pittsburgh lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 41-37 during the 2021 season. ... The Steelers are 2-0 against Stafford, with both wins coming when the quarterback was with the Detroit Lions. ... Pittsburgh is 20-38 in games played in the Pacific time zone in franchise history, though the Steelers did beat the Raiders in Las Vegas in Week 3. ... Pittsburgh often finds its footing in October, particularly on the road. The Steelers have an NFL-high 57 road wins in October since the 1970 merger. ... While the offense has struggled, QB Kenny Pickett has found a way to make things happen late. Pickett orchestrated a winning drive late in the fourth quarter of Week 5 against Baltimore, his fifth game-winner since taking over as the starter in Week 5 of last season. ... Johnson has led the Steelers in receptions in three of his four seasons. Yet he hasn't scored a touchdown since Jan. 3, 2022, a span of 18 games played. … Kupp has come out of the gates in impressive fashion with 118 yards receiving against Philadelphia and 148 yards and a touchdown versus Arizona. This is the third straight season Kupp has crossed the century mark in each of his first two games. … Tackles for loss have come in bunches for All-Pro DL Aaron Donald in 2023. He made three negative stops against the Cardinals to go along with three at the Colts and two at the Bengals. … Donald has faced his hometown team only twice previously in his career. He scored his only NFL points with a safety in the Rams’ loss at Pittsburgh in 2019. … Stafford has tightened his ball security over the past two weeks, not throwing an interception or losing a fumble after tossing five picks in the previous three games. … Despite turning in his least productive game as a pro so far with four receptions for 26 yards against Arizona, Nacua set NFL records for the most receptions (50) and yards receiving (598) by a rookie through six games.

FANTASY TIP: With the uncertainty at RB, expect coach Sean McVay to use different facets of his passing game in place of the run. That should make TE Tyler Higbee more attractive, particularly in formats that award points per reception, as he could see plenty of short throws.

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