Steelers @ Eagles

[Vin+ 3,121]

STATS LLC Associated Press

Sep 21, 2016

 

The Battle of Pennsylvania takes on a different feel this season as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles own 2-0 marks and are riding high in the saddle behind rough and ready quarterback play.

 

The Keystone State rivals will settle their difference at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday (4:25 p.m.).

 

The old general, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, continues to be the steady hand that has led Pittsburgh to two Super Bowl wins in his time at the helm.

 

The young lieutenant, Philadelphia's Carson Wentz, has declared his independence as the leader of the upstart Eagles.

 

The Steelers have two impressive wins over the Washington Redskins in Week 1 and the AFC North rival-Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. But those wins were somewhat expected due to the veterans returning to the team and the stability of the roster.

 

The two Eagles wins, granted against lesser opponents, may be more impressive. Wentz wasn't named the starter until a week before the opening game, thanks to the trade of quarterback Sam Bradford. The turnover on the roster, a new head coach in Doug Pederson and a front-office shakeup in the offseason led to many pundits and fans alike to view this as a major rebuilding year in Philadelphia.

 

Wentz wants none of that. The signal-caller from North Dakota State became the first rookie to win his first two season-opening starts and not throw an interception. Wentz hasn't thrown a pick in 71 attempts.

 

"(Ball security) is something I pride myself on and it's something this offense prides itself on," Wentz said after a mistake-free game versus Chicago on Monday. "Just controlling the ball. Protecting the football. Making smart decisions. Being aggressive, but also being calculated. Knowing when to take chances.

 

"He can see the entire field that way," Pederson, a former NFL quarterback, said of Wentz. "When people are falling around his feet and the pocket is collapsing, he's always looking to make a play down the field. Even on some scrambles Monday night, he took some shots down the field. We didn't capitalize on them, but it's great to see he can see that part of the field.

 

"He's commanding the huddle, and the dialogue on the sideline with players and coaches and him is something that a nine- and 10-year vet would do. It just shows his maturity and the ability that he has to play quarterback."

 

Those are positive signs and fit the narrative of Wentz's comparison to a player like Roethlisberger.

 

Wentz faces his first true test this week against a Steelers' defense that has only allowed only two touchdowns. Both of those scores have come in the fourth quarter when the games were well in hand.

 

The secondary has given up 695 passing yards in two games but that statistic is deceiving. Each play they have defended has only been for a 7.2-yard average. Starting cornerback Ross Cockrell has been a major spark for a back half of a defense that has struggled in years past.

 

"He's growing in all areas," coach Mike Tomlin said. "He's got the things that excite you: he's tough, he's smart and he's got a good above-the-neck game, he's a worker. All of those things kind of make it a very natural thing, this progression he's going through, this improvement. I don't think any of us are surprised by it. I think we all expect it to continue.

 

Cockrell has no issue following the opponent's best wide receiver all over the field. The problem for the Eagles is that they do not have a true No. 1 wideout. Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor have been solid NFL players but have had their share of drops and lapses in concentration.

 

That has not been the issue for the Steelers' young wide receivers like Sammie Coates.

 

Veteran Antonio Brown was not happy after the Bengals' win because he only had four catches for 39 yards.

 

Brown, Coates and the entire passing attack could see that frustration come to a head against a feisty Eagles' defense. The Jim Schwartz-led unit is fifth in the NFL in pass defense allowing only 194 yards a game. They have only given up an average of 12 points a game as well.

 

Look out for Brown or Coates on deep routes. The Eagles' secondary has given up three passes of 40-plus yards already this year.

 

 

From whence did Wentz wince?

[Dutch 874]

Thank God that Le'veon Bell and Martavis Bryant are pot heads. With that said, we will still most likely lose. Who needs Bell when Deangelo Williams is still playing out of his mind? Who needs Martavis when Coats is stretching the field with that deep speed? Ofcourse neither guy is better than Bell or Bryant, but they still have guys who can make plays on their team and hurt you badly. A.B is going to have a field day against our secondary. The only thing that could truly negate that is if our pass rush goes ballistic. I've liked what I've seen from our pass rush so far, but they are going to have to put the pressure on Big Ben for four quarters to slow down that potent Steelers offense to have a shot. Turnovers were key last week getting 3 so hopefully we can snag 1 or 2 this week.

 

As for Wentz, I think he will see some different things coverage wise. But if the Steelers continue to suck at rushing the passer (dead last in the league with 1 sack in 97 attempts), he will have time to make some plays; granted if our receivers catch the ball. We will have to do much better on our 3rd down efficiency because we have been pretty terrible at converting those. 8 for 30. We will have to make our drives count and put points on the board to keep up with the Steelers. With all this said, is it possible for us to win? I think so, but I wouldn't bet on it. If we do though, it would be a great confidence booster for our team moving forward and they would have surpassed my expectations. Another convincing win against a good team (if we win) and maybe the sky could be the limit. Win or lose however, it is a great measuring stick for our team to reveal what we are truly made of; something the LolBrowns and Bearcubs couldn't provide.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Barring a Wentz meltdown (which just isn't going to happen) or a defensive meltdown (much more likely but still not a high probability to happen), this will be one of the best games of the week. It's one thing to say Philly played cappy teams in the first two weeks, but they kicked the shit out of both of them.

[Dutch 874]

True. We kicked them the way bad teams should be kicked. Playing a good team is night and day compared to playing a bad team (see Texans vs Pats). Again, I will say it's very much possible we could, I just can't bring myself to bet on it until I actually see it first. I have no real credible basis to warrant such confidence (BrownBears) and I would feel like I'm being an overly optimistic homer. The potential is there I believe but it has to manifest itself on the field first against a credible opponent to build real trust and faith.

Edited September 24, 2016 by Dutch

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Pumped for this game because I want to see how good we are. Not expecting to win, but we should put up a fight, especially on offense. Steelers' O will smoke us tho.

[Cherry 1,302]

35

 

34

[RazorStar 4,025]

I'm feeling the upset here. The Steelers play down to their competition, and they'll play down to the Eagles.

 

27

24

[SteVo+ 3,702]

https://twitter.com/JoshPaunil/status/780055807849328641

 

Wentz becomes Captain Checkdown, but the Eagles fail to convert in the red zone, leaving points on the board. Meanwhile, the Eagles have no answer for Antonio Brown.

 

35

16

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

Eagles declared TE Zach Ertz, C Josh Andrews, OG Dillon Gordon, CB Leodis McKelvin, OG Isaac Seumalo, WR Bryce Treggs and OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai inactive for Week 3 against the Steelers.

Ertz is week to week with a displaced rib. Trey Burton will draw the start at tight end. Mychal Kendricks (nose, quad) is active for the Eagles.

Source: Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter

 

 

 

Steelers declared QB Zach Mettenberger, CB Senquez Golson, C/G Chris Hubbard, LB Steven Johnson, FB Roosevelt Nix, C/G Cody Wallace and DE L.T. Walton inactive for Week 3 against the Eagles.

Roosevelt has a back injury while Golson is dealing with a foot issue. Ramon Foster, who was listed as questionable with an elbow injury, is active for Pittsburgh.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Jordan Matthews caught the ball. Holy shit, pigs do fly.

 

That's how you improvise, Carson Wentz!

Edited September 25, 2016 by BwareDWare94

[RazorStar 4,025]

I guess Carson Wentz is alright when his receivers catch passes.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I thought the Steelers had a defense... or a QB... or a RB... just nothing working for them today. All aboard the hype train, ladies and gentlemen.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Not that it matters when they have 3 double digit victories, but Carson has had two beautiful deep ball TDs dropped in the last two weeks. Matthews last week, DGB this week

[BigBen07 285]

Good game, Eagles. Wentz took full advantage of our sloppy pass D. And the Eagles pressured Ben all day. Oof.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

It's too bad the Eagles mortgaged their future.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

It's too bad the Eagles mortgaged their future.

 

 

Carson Wentz is our future. And getting the Vikings' 1st-round pick for 2017 helped.

[WeaponX20 26]

It's too bad the Eagles mortgaged their future.

Technically eagles only gave up a 2nd in 2018 since they got 1st back From Minny

[RazorStar 4,025]

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Guys guys chillllll, I was being sarcastic. Lol. I was the first to defend the Eagles.

[Piggly Wiggly 960]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFuUC7M4OOE

 

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Ok, so...holy shit. What a win. I don't think we got the Steelers' best shot today, but I think we can confidently say the Eagles won't suck this year. Everyone will be talking about Wentz, but our defense is probably the biggest improvement from last year. Jim Schwartz was a great hire.

[Bay 2,003]

If the Eagles and Vikings are both undefeated when they meet week 6 in Philadelphia.

[BwareDWare94 723]

If the Eagles and Vikings are both undefeated when they meet week 6 in Philadelphia.

 

What the fuck am I supposed to do regardless of record that week?

[Cherry 1,302]

 

What the fuck am I supposed to do regardless of record that week?

 

 

Cheer on Carson

[DBR96A 87]

The first-quarter sequence of Markus Wheaton dropping a TD pass followed by a blocked FG attempt basically set the tone for this game.

 

David DeCastro just had the worst game of his career. Losing Ramon Foster didn't help either. The Steelers have an athletic offensive line that's susceptible to getting pushed around by strong, physical defensive lines. That's how they lost to the Jets in 2014; Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson just destroyed the offensive line. Today it was Fletcher Cox.

 

The defense better find answers quickly. They have one sack in three games this season, and they've done a piss-poor job of tackling. Now there's an injury problem too, with three of the four starting LBs and the starting SS all injured. Get well soon, guys.

 

Is the Eagles secondary that good, or is the Steelers WR corps overrated?

 

Ben Roethlisberger played OK, all things considered. He was simply the last domino to fall. In fact, he, Antonio Brown, Stephon Tuitt and Jordan Berry were the only ones who even showed up. I want to say that DeAngelo Williams showed up too, but the game spiraled out of control so quickly that he didn't get many opportunities to run the ball.

 

I thought the INT call in the end zone was bullshit, but whatever. It wasn't going to make a difference at that point.

 

The 1976 Raiders, 1979 Steelers, 1994 49ers, 2003 Patriots, 2006 Colts, 2011 Giants, 2012 Ravens and 2014 Patriots are all teams that won the Super Bowl after losing a game by 25 or more points (four or more possessions) during the regular season, so while there is cause for concern with the Steelers, it's not necessarily a bad omen.

 

Carson Wentz has played like a stud so far. It's still way too early to judge him, though. He could be another Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger, with continuous success after a fast start but he could also be another Robert Griffin III or Nick Foles, who had one good season and then fell apart. Only time will tell, though the initial indications are that the Eagles have found a legitimate franchise QB.