Five things we learned from Chargers 33, Steelers 30:

1. Brace yourself for a dose of Jaylen Samuels in the backfield

When James Conner was helped off the field with 4 minutes, 45 seconds remaining, it put the rest of the drive in the hands of rookie fifth-round pick Samuels. He caught two passes, including the game-tying 10-yard touchdown reception, but the Steelers never got the ball back.

If Conner is sidelined for any period of time – coach Mike Tomlin called it a lower leg contusion – the Steelers will be down to their third option at running back. Conner, of course, was the second after Le’Veon Bell decided against reporting this year, and he has 909 yards rushing on the season.

Samuels carried two times for five yards against the Chargers and has more experience as a pass-catcher than as a runner. The Steelers could rotate with him and veteran Stevan Ridley until Conner can return, whenever that is.

Ridley, however, hasn’t taken a snap in the past three games and has 18 carries through 12 games.

2. James Washington could be the No. 3 receiver, even if by default.

On the heels of his dropped deep pass last weekend in Denver, the rookie second-rounder was benched in favor of veteran Justin Hunter. But Washington may have worked his way back into the team’s good graces without playing a single snap.

Hunter didn’t have a catch on three targets and suffered a shoulder injury diving for an overthrown Ben Roethlisberger pass in the end zone in the first half. Slot receiver Ryan Switzer left in the second half with a concussion, meaning Darrius Heyward-Bey was the only remaining option at Tomlin’s disposal.

The lack of a third receiver was noticeable in the loss. After Antonio Brown (10 catches, 154 yards) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (6 catches, 49 yards), the Steelers got two catches for nine yards from Switzer and nothing from Hunter and Heyward-Bey.

Tight ends Vance McDonald and Jesse James also weren’t much of a factor, combining for five catches on 10 targets for 35 yards.

3. The run defense disappeared in the second half.

With 14 members of the 1978 Super Bowl XIII championship team attending the game, the Steelers imitated the Steel Curtain in the first half by holding the Chargers to two yards rushing on nine attempts.

In the second half, the Steelers resembled the team that had difficulty stopping the run in recent weeks. The Chargers gained 83 yards rushing over the final 30 minutes, with Justin Jackson getting 63 yards on eight carries, a 7.9 average.

Jackson had a pair of 18-yard runs as the Chargers exploited gaps in the Steelers defense. One of those runs reached the end zone and completed the Chargers’ run of 23 unanswered points in the second half.

4. Holding penalties helped swing the momentum in the third quarter.

The talk after the game centered on two penalties that were not called: an obvious offsides on Chargers tackle Sam Tevi before Philip Rivers threw a 46-yard touchdown pass and a block-in-the-back infraction that helped spring Desmond King II for a 73-yard touchdown on a punt return.

But holding calls against Steelers offensive linemen Ramon Foster and Alejandro Villanueva were turning points in enabling the Chargers to overcome a 16-point halftime deficit.

The Steelers had the ball to open the second half and were driving in Chargers territory when Foster’s hold negated a 22-yard run by Conner that would have provided a first down at the 26. Pushed back into their own territory, the drive stalled for the Steelers. The Chargers took over at their 12, and Rivers led them on a 13-play, 88-yard touchdown march.

On the next series, the Steelers had a second-and-9 at their 31 when Ben Roethlisberger threw an 8-yard completion to Conner. But Villanueva’s hold negated the play and backed the Steelers up to their 21. Roethlisberger was sacked for 11 yards on the next play. Unable to convert a third-and-29, Jordan Berry was called on to punt, and King embarked on his controversial 73-yard return.

5. Linebackers were no match in coverage for Keenan Allen.

Getting his most extensive playing time of the season, L.J. Fort was the leader in tackles for the Steelers, with nine solo stops and three assists. Fort also partially blocked a punt that set up a field goal which helped the Steelers build a 16-7 lead in the second quarter.

But far too often Fort was tasked with chasing down Allen, the Chargers’ dynamic wide receiver. The Chargers moved Allen all over the formation, and he responded by catching 14 of 19targets for 148 yards and a touchdown.

For some reason, the Steelers thought the best way to match up against Allen was by assigning a linebacker to him. And Fort, the fastest of the team’s inside linebackers, got more snaps than Vince Williams and Jon Bostic. Perhaps this was due to safety Morgan Burnett missing the game because of a back injury and cornerback Cameron Sutton being inactive for the first time this season.

The Chargers took advantage of the mismatch.

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tribjoerutter.

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