There are two ways to look at tonight’s Sunday Night Football matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers.
One way is to note that last week the Steelers knocked off the team that came into ninth week action with the best record in football, the Indianapolis Colts. That victory kept Mike Tomlin’s team atop the AFC North Division which includes three teams that have struggled though the first half of the season, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
One might consider that the Steelers lead the league in forcing turnovers, and collected six last week in their win over the Indianapolis Colts as a very good thing.
Yet, may I offer a fly in the ointment before we crowned the Steelers Super Bowl Champions.
Last Sunday, the Steelers did have a plus five turnover ratio against the Colts while collecting three interceptions and three fumbles. And while they won the game, they did it by a score that seems to be much closer than it should have been for a team that had a plus five turnover ratio. No stat is more influential in a final score than turnovers, and when a team gets a plus five from their opponent it could be expected that the team with the dramatic turnover ratio advantage would win the game by at least double-digts, perhaps by three touchdowns or more.
The Steelers win over the Colts was 28-21.