Herbert, Chargers go for third straight win when they welcome Rodgers, Steelers on Sunday night

Pittsburgh (5-3) at Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC/Peacock

BetMGM NFL Odds: Chargers by 3

Against the spread: Steelers 4-4; Chargers 3-5-1

Series record: Steelers lead 25-11.

Last meeting: Steelers beat Chargers 20-10 in Pittsburgh on Sept. 22, 2024.

Last week: Steelers beat Colts 27-20; Chargers beat Titans 27-20.

Steelers offense: overall (28), rush (30), pass (21), scoring (T-12).

Steelers defense: overall (30), rush (14), pass (32), scoring (21).

Chargers offense: overall (5), rush (10), pass (6), scoring (17).

Chargers defense: overall (6), rush (17), pass (3), scoring (12).

Turnover differential: Steelers plus-9; Chargers minus-4.

RB Jaylen Warren scored two rushing touchdowns in a game for the first time against Indianapolis. He also had 16 carries, tying his second-highest total as a NFL player, but only managed 31 yards with that big workload. Facing a run defense that has tightened up in recent weeks, the Steelers will hope Warren can be more effective with his touches to take pressure off QB Aaron Rodgers.

OLB Odafe Oweh had two sacks and two tackles for loss in the win over Tennessee, giving him four sacks and four tackles for loss in four games since being acquired in a trade from Baltimore on Oct. 7. Oweh, 26, has helped the Chargers pass rush get back on track, and they will need him against a Steelers offensive line that ranks eighth in the NFL in sacks allowed (15).

Chargers offensive line vs. Steelers OLB T.J. Watt. It hasn’t been a vintage season for the Pittsburgh defense, but tell that to Indianapolis after turning the ball over six times on Sunday. Watt did his part with a strip-sack and recovered the fumble, and now he gets to face an injury-depleted offensive line that has allowed 29 sacks and won’t have OT Joe Alt (high ankle sprain) for the rest of the season. Los Angeles will have to use every trick in the book to keep star QB Justin Herbert upright after he was sacked a season-high six times by the Titans. That could include using Trevor Penning at left tackle five days after acquiring him in a trade with New Orleans.

Steelers: LG Isaac Seumalo is out after he aggravated a pectoral injury last week against Indianapolis. ... S Jabrill Peppers (quadriceps) and LB Cole Holcomb (illness) won't play, but TE Darnell Washington (foot), S Chuck Clark (illness) and LB Alex Highsmith (ankle) are all good to go after missing practice this week. ... WR Scotty Miller remains out after undergoing finger surgery.

Chargers: RG Mekhi Becton (knee) is set to play after missing the win over the Titans, meaning the interior of the offensive line is stable. ... OT Bobby Hart (knee/ankle) is out, while CB Tarheeb Still (knee) is doubtful to play. ... CB Benjamin St-Juste (groin) was limited late in the week and is questionable. ... CB Deane Leonard (knee), and LS Josh Harris (chest) are both questionable after getting three full practices in and could be activated off injured reserve. DL Da’Shawn Hand (groin) could also come off IR after graduating to a full practice Friday.

The Chargers and Steelers have provided plenty of entertainment while trading wins over the past six meetings. Four of those games have been decided by one score. The most memorable might have been in 2021 when Los Angeles overcame a ferocious fourth-quarter rally by Pittsburgh to win 41-37 on a 53-yard touchdown pass by Herbert with 2:09 to go.

The Steelers enter the season's midpoint as the only AFC North team above .500 and will have a chance to bolster its position with a victory out on the West Coast. ... Pittsburgh has struggled on Sunday nights of late. The Steelers are 4-9 in their past 13 appearances in the prime-time showcase, including a 1-2 record against the Chargers in that span. ... Heading cross-country has not been kind to the Steelers through the years. Pittsburgh is 23-38 all time on the road against teams that play in the Pacific Time Zone, though the Steelers have won five of their past six games out west. ... Pittsburgh is 45-35 when playing indoors all time, their .563 winning percentage inside is second all time for teams that have played at least 70 games indoors. ... The Steelers produced six takeaways last week against the Colts, the most they’ve forced in a single game since creating seven turnovers against Tennessee in 2010. Pittsburgh’s plus-9 turnover margin is second in the NFL behind Chicago. ... Pittsburgh’s turnover production has masked the defense’s inability to get stops in a more traditional way. The Steelers are 30th in yards allowed. They’ve finished outside the top 20 in yards allowed just twice in Mike Tomlin’s first 18 seasons. ... Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers will be making his 38th regular-season start on "Sunday Night Football," the most by a quarterback in NFL history. Rodgers’ 21 wins on Sunday nights are tied with Tom Brady for the most ever and his 9,612 yards passing on Sunday nights rank second only to Brady. ... Pittsburgh DT Cam Heyward will play in his 220th game, tying Hall of Fame center Mike Webster for second most in franchise history behind former QB Ben Roethlisberger (247). ... Steelers WR DK Metcalf is third in the NFL in yards per reception (16.1) but isn’t getting a ton of opportunities. Metcalf has 29 catches through eight games, putting him on pace for a career low in that department since the NFL moved to a 17-game schedule in 2021. ... Part of the reason for Metcalf’s modest target numbers can be attributed to Rodgers trying to spread the ball around. ... Herbert has thrown eight interceptions in nine games this season after tossing three picks in 17 games last season. … Herbert led the Chargers with 57 yards rushing against the Titans. He had a career-high 90 yards rushing against the Steelers in 2021, to go along with 382 yards passing, three touchdowns and one interception in that wild shootout. … WR Keenan Allen needs two receptions to pass longtime teammate Antonio Gates (955) for the most in Chargers history. … OLB Tuli Tuipulotu has two sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble in his past two games. … The Chargers defense has allowed 16 points in its past two games. Tennessee had a pick-six and a punt return touchdown to get to 20 points on Sunday. … Rookie TE Oronde Gadsden II has 24 receptions for 377 yards and two touchdowns in his past four games.

It probably won’t be pretty, but Herbert, Gadsden and other useful players of the Chargers’ passing attack should still be in fantasy lineups this week. The Steelers have allowed at least 313 yards passing and seven total touchdowns through the air over their past three games.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) makes a catch during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) celebrates after a fumble recovery against the Indianapolis Colts during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) is sacked by Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh (98) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) hands off to running back Jaylen Warren (30) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is sacked by Titans linebacker Cedric Gray (33) of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

PHOENIX (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he has no plans to end the league's Rooney Rule despite recent objections from Florida's attorney general, who wrote that the league's minority hiring guidelines violate Florida state law.

Goodell — speaking on Tuesday at the end of the NFL league meetings — acknowledged the changing political landscape for diversity initiatives in the U.S., but added that he didn't believe there should be any legal issues with the league's policy.

“The Rooney Rule has been around a long time,” Goodell said. “We've evolved it, changed it. We'll continue to do that.”

Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to Goodell last week saying the league’s 23-year-old Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.”

The Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least two minority candidates for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions. At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position.

Goodell noted that similar diversity guidelines were used in other industries.

“One thing that doesn't change is our values and we believe in diversity and its benefit to the National Football League,” Goodell said. “We are well aware of the laws and where the laws are changing and evolving. We think the Rooney Rule is consistent with those and we certainly will engage with the Florida AG or anybody else as we have in the past to talk about our policies."

Goodell also expressed support for the NFL Accelerator Program, which is returning in May after a hiatus in 2025. The program is used to promote diversity in leadership roles, and was expanded to include candidates of all backgrounds this year.

First-year Atlanta Falcons GM Ian Cunningham said Monday that diversity should still be a priority for the league.

“Just from my position, especially being a Black man, there’s still work to be done,” Cunningham told The Associated Press. “Now that I’m in this position and have this platform, I’m going to be intentional about what we do from a grassroots effort to a director level.

“I do think it’s important to give people of all races and sexes a chance to be in a position to further their career.”

The NFL's competition committee approved a one-year rule for the upcoming season that would allow the replay center in New York to correct “clear and obvious mistakes made by on-field officials that impact the game" in case of a work stoppage involving the NFL Referees Association.

It was one of multiple rules changes announced Tuesday at the league's annual meetings.

The league is moving forward with plans to begin hiring and training replacement officials in the next several weeks because negotiations with the referees’ union have been unsuccessful, two people with knowledge of the discussions have told The Associated Press. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the conversations are private.

The league and the NFL Referees Association have been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement since the summer of 2024. The current CBA expires May 31.

“The negotiations haven’t progressed the way we hoped from a timing standpoint,” Goodell said Tuesday. “We obviously have obligations to fans and everyone in the National Football League to play. We’ll be prepared to play. We’re taking the appropriate steps to be ready, but we’re also keenly focused on negotiations.”

The NFL’s last foray into replacement officials ended in embarrassment for the league when a botched call and confusion in a prime-time game led to the end of a lockout that marred the first three weeks of the 2012 season.

Another rule change approved by owners allows the replay center in New York to consult with on-field officials when considering ejections for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts that weren't called on the field.

The change comes after Pittsburgh receiver DK Metcalf wasn’t ejected from a game at Detroit last season when he got into an altercation with a heckling fan. Because the on-field officials didn’t see when Metcalf swiped at the fan and so didn't throw a flag, the replay center was unable to eject Metcalf.

The league did suspend him for two games, but he was able to remain in the game at the time.

There were also three rules that affect kickoffs, including one that permits the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game, regardless of the score. Previously, only teams that were trailing or tied could attempt an onside kick.

Goodell said he has no plans to punish New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch under the league's personal conduct policy after Tisch's name appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department in January.

The NFL said in February that it would look into ties between Tisch and Epstein.

“As we've said, we're going to follow facts," Goodell said. “We have been doing that and we're very focused on making sure we understand everything that's out there. We've engaged with others to make sure we have that information.”

The team's co-owners Steve, Laurie and Jonathan Tisch recently signaled their desire to transfer their shares of the NFL club to their children’s trusts.

According to a memo, the Tisch siblings would move the remaining 23.1% of the Giants that they still own to the trusts after completing previous transfers in 2023 and ’24. The memo states, “Following the transactions, the sellers will no longer own any interest in the club.”

Steve Tisch’s name came up more than 400 times in the files. Tisch at the time said he knew Epstein but denied going to his island.

AP Pro Football Writers Rob Maaddi and Josh Dubow and AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this story.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell smiles as he recognizes a reporter during a news conference at the NFL football annual meetings, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a news conference at the NFL football annual meetings, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a news conference at the NFL football annual meetings, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

FILE - Referee Clay Martin (19), far left, talks with the officiating crew during an NFL football game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar, file)