Chargers vs. Steelers live updates, how to watch, score, highlights

Khalil Mack sacks Aaron Rodgers for a safety

🏈 Steelers 3, Chargers 2 — 5:09 left in first quarter

Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack sacked Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the end zone to get the Chargers on the board. Under pressure, Rodgers nearly fumbled the ball away before recovering as he was hit by Mack.

So far it’s been a defensive showcase for both teams. The Steelers went nowhere on their third possession after taking over from their six-yard line.

Steelers take early lead on 59-yard field goal

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers passes against the Chargers in the first quarter.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

🏈 Steelers 3, Chargers 0 — 10:25 left in the first quarter

Chris Boswell kicked a 59-yard field goal to give the Steelers an early lead after the Chargers went three and out on their first possession.

The field-goal try came after JK Scott’s punt only went 34 yards, allowing Pittsburgh to take over on the Chargers’ 46-yard line.

Chargers and Steelers go three and out on first possessions

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers warms up before facing the Chargers.

(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)

🏈 Steelers 0, Chargers 0 — 12:04 left in the first quarter

The Chargers went three and out on their first possession after Justin Herbert couldn’t connect with rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II on third and nine.

The Steelers went three and out on the game’s first possession (Chargers won the coin toss and deferred to second half).

Why NFL legends consider Justin Herbert and Aaron Rodgers virtuosos in the art of passing

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, left, and Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be showcasing their throwing abilities at SoFi Stadium on Sunday night.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times; Michael Hickey / Getty Images)

Jim Harbaugh stood in a back hallway at Chargers headquarters and pantomimed the ideal way to toss a football, a throwback to his days as a first-round pick and 14-year career as an NFL quarterback.

“I can feel it coming off that finger,” the coach said, his right hand clutching an imaginary ball, “then that one, then that one, then the thumb, and then the last finger. When you hit it right, like a tuning fork goes off — oh, that was sweet. You feel it.”

When he finished, he struck the pose of an artist, with his right hand reaching forward as if holding a small, invisible brush to canvas.

Show me the Monet.

Keith Browner, former USC linebacker and member of a large NFL family, dies at 63

Former USC and NFL linebacker Keith Browner, left, shown playing for the San Diego Chargers in 1988, died Tuesday at age 63.

(Getty Images)

Former USC and NFL linebacker Keith Browner died Tuesday morning in San Leandro, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau confirmed Wednesday. He was 63.

Keith Browner Jr. told TMZ that he talked to his father Monday night when the elder Browning was having stomach problems, vomiting and feeling tired. Browner Jr. said his father told him he would go to the hospital the next morning.

Browner was getting ready to go to the hospital Tuesday morning, according to TMZ, “when he curled over the side of a chair and collapsed to the floor next to his girlfriend.” TMZ also reported that “it appears” Browner suffered a heart attack and that his death was “unexpected and sudden.”

Oronde Gadsden II one of the NFL’s biggest surprises? Not to those who know him best

Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II runs onto the field at SoFi Stadium before a game against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 19.

(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)

Tre’ Harris watched as Oronde Gadsden II burst by him, the 6-foot-5 tight end chugging over the turf at Golden West College’s football field.

Months before Harris and Gadsden suited up as Chargers rookies, the duo were catching passes from Jaxson Dart — now the starting quarterback for the New York Giants — during pre-NFL Scouting Combine training sessions at the Huntington Beach community college as the trio took advantage of sunny weather in Southern California.

“I saw his talents immediately,” Dart said of Gadsden. “Skill set-wise, I thought he was a very unique athlete, being, you know, the stature that he is. I thought his footwork was some of the best that I’ve seen.”

Trevor Penning eager to bolster Chargers’ big need to protect Justin Herbert

New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Trevor Penning walks on the sideline during a game against the New York Giants on Oct. 5.

(Tyler Kaufman / Associated Press)

Trevor Penning couldn’t help but smile and chuckle after arriving in the brisk El Segundo weather from New Orleans early Wednesday morning.

It was fewer than 24 hours after he’d been told of the trade of which he wasn’t expecting, standing in front of his new end-of-the-hallway locker in the Chargers’ clubhouse. A placard listing Penning’s high school-recruiting rating, and the schools he attended, had yet to be placed atop his stall next to long snapper Josh Harris.

“It’s pretty crazy — overnight,” said the fourth-year offensive lineman, a former 2022 first-round draft pick of the Saints. “You get five more wins on [the record]. … I’m excited to be here.”

Joe Alt to miss remainder of season in another huge blow to Chargers’ offensive line

Chargers offensive tackle Joe Alt is carted off the field after sustaining an ankle injury during L.A.’s 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

(Johnnie Izquierdo / Getty Images)

A bad situation on the Chargers offensive line just got worse, as the team announced Monday that standout left tackle Joe Alt will undergo season-ending ankle surgery.

Alt, who missed three games earlier in the season because of an ankle injury, re-injured the same ankle during Sunday’s victory at the Tennessee Titans when linebacker Jihad Ward was blocked into the back of his legs.

Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: How to watch, start time and prediction

Chargers cornerback Elijah Molden, left, and linebacker Denzel Perryman celebrate during a win over the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 23.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

On one side, Justin Herbert. On the other, Aaron Rodgers. They’re two of the prettiest passers in NFL history, and they’ll be meeting Sunday night at SoFi Stadium.

Both the Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off victories, with the Chargers winning in Tennessee, and the Steelers forcing six turnovers to hand the Indianapolis Colts just their second loss.

The Chargers lost left tackle Joe Alt to a season-ending ankle injury and once again have to reshuffle an offensive line that has been in a constant state of flux.