Game Overview ::
By MIKE JOHNSON >>
- Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has attempted more than 25 passes only once since their Week 5 bye.
- Pittsburgh has held 10 of 13 opponents to 20 points or less, while Philadelphia has held eight of nine opponents to 20 points or less since its Week 5 bye.
- Eagles RB Saquon Barkley set the single-season franchise rushing record last week with four games to play.
- Steelers WR George Pickens has an “outside chance” to play this week due to a hamstring injury that held him out of Week 14.
- The Steelers have an incredibly difficult schedule coming up, as they play the Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs in an 11-day span.
HOW PITTSBURGH WILL TRY TO WIN ::
The Steelers were able to grind out a convincing win over the Browns in Week 14 to extend their lead within the division to two full games. Their journey is just getting started, however, as they face a gauntlet over the next week and a half beginning with the Eagles. Next Saturday they will travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens (who should be well rested after dusting up the Giants this week) and then play on the following Wednesday (Christmas) when they host the conference-leading Chiefs. The Steelers have a wide range of outcomes available to them, as they could end up anywhere from the No. 1 seed to the No. 7 seed depending on how these next couple of weeks go.
The Steelers’ offense will rely heavily on their running backs to carry the load this week as they try to control the tempo of the game and win the field-position and turnover battles. We have seen them in these key games against tough opponents and their approach is something that we have talked about many times over the years – they are just going to try to let opponents beat themselves. Steelers QB Russell Wilson has thrown only three interceptions all season, as he has performed very well and taken them to another level by unlocking some downfield passing while still protecting the ball. The “alpha” of this passing game is undoubtedly Pickens, whose absence was felt last week as he tends to a hamstring injury. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin said Pickens has an “outside chance” to play this week, although Pickens suffered the injury last Friday and has not practiced yet this week. It would seem unlikely that Pickens is able to get cleared for this game, but we will just have to wait and see.
Regardless of the status of Pickens, the Steelers are likely to play this one close to the vest. They rank 27th in the NFL in pass rate over expectation (PROE), and with Pickens out or limited, they aren’t going to force things against a very good secondary until they are forced to. Expect a healthy dose of RBs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren both on the ground and in the passing game, while the Steelers methodically pick their spots and try to force the Eagles to march the field against their defense. Pittsburgh leads the league in turnover margin this season, and winning the turnover battle is likely the biggest key for them to pull off the upset in Philly.
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