San Diego's offense failed to score a point in the first 40 minutes of the game, yet it was the defense that dug the Chargers a 28-0 deficit. Ron Rivera's crew was gashed on the ground, allowing backup RB Rashard Mendenhall to turn 29 carries into 165 yards and a pair of TDs. The Steelers finished with 177 net rushing yards, the fourth straight week an opponent has topped the 140-yard barrier.
The play of San Diego's D-line was especially disappointing. Ogemdi Nwagbuo, Alfonso Boone and Vaughn Martin were consistently blown off the ball, allowing Pittsburgh's offensive line to move the line of scrimmage and reach the second level with regularity. Rivera can only hope DE Travis Johnson, who missed the last three games with a groin injury, can return at 100 percent after the bye week.
Despite being dominated for much of the game, the Chargers staged a frantic rally over the last 20 minutes. Antonio Gates led the push with his best game of the season. Amongst his nine catches for 124 yards were TDs of 3 and 30 yards.
Sandwiched between Gates' scores was a heads-up play by Jacob Hester on special teams. Early in the fourth quarter, Hester chased down PR Stefan Logan, pried the ball from him and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown.
Unfortunately, San Diego gave up more big plays than it produced. It started with Antonio Cromartie, who was flagged for a pair of penalties and was often caught out of position. Clinton Hart and Steve Gregory also had rough outings, with Hart getting beaten by TE Heath Miller for a 6-yard TD early in the second half.
Lightning Quicks
--RB LaDainian Tomlinson returned to action and carried seven times for 15 yards. Despite the low numbers, LT looks sharp in limited minutes. However, the Chargers were forced to abandon the run after falling into an early hole.
--Philip Rivers threw three TDs against the Steelers, matching his total from the first three weeks combined. After four weeks, Rivers ranks second in the NFL in passing yards (1,245) behind only Peyton Manning (1,336).
--Although San Diego's pass rush was spotty for most of the game, the team finished with a season-best three sacks. Larry English, Tim Dobbins and Boone each recorded his first sack of the season.
--After dropping a third-down pass early in the game, Chris Chambers bounced back to catch four passes for 39 yards, including a 13-yard TD to cap San Diego's scoring.
Michael Lombardo is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and a long-time contributor to the Scout.com network. His analysis has been published by the NFL Network, Fox Sports and MySpace Sports. He has followed the Chargers for more than 15 years and covered the team since 2003. You can see more of his updates by following him on twitter.