Stopping Vidal A Must For The Steelers Against The Chargers

This year’s Los Angeles Chargers boast a wealth of offensive talent that has propelled them to a 6–3 record, placing them second in the AFC West behind the Denver Broncos. While the Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to focus heavily on quarterback Justin Herbert and wide receivers Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey, the player who could pose the biggest threat is one few expected to emerge as strongly as he has this season.

Entering Week 10, running back Kimani Vidal has recorded 309 rushing yards across just six games, including two 100-yard performances since stepping into the starting role for the Chargers.

Following his standout performance in the October 23rd victory over the Vikings, head coach Jim Harbaugh offered high praise for the second-year running back out of Troy. Harbaugh remarked that Vidal was playing not only like the "number one running back" on his team, but in the entire NFL.

However, Vidal now faces arguably his toughest challenge yet against the Steelers—particularly their defensive front, which held the NFL’s leading rusher, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, to a season-low 45 yards in their Week 9 win. Compounding the difficulty, Vidal’s team will be without both starting tackles for the remainder of the season, which may limit his productivity. Still, stopping the run has been a persistent challenge for the Steelers, and they cannot afford to give Vidal any space to operate.

To date, the Steelers’ defense has allowed 844 rushing yards to opposing teams, ranking 12th in the league in that category. Despite recent improvements, they’ll need to be at their absolute best to contain Vidal if they hope to secure a win.