PITTSBURGH STEELERS (2-0) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (2-0)
REGULAR SEASON SERIES
| STEELERS | EAGLES | |
| SERIES LEADER | 46-28-3 | |
| STREAKS | 2 of past 3 | |
| COACHES VS. OPP. | Mike Tomlin: 1-1 | Doug Pederson: 0-0 |
| LAST WEEK | W 24-16 vs. Cincinnati | W 29-14 at Chicago |
| LAST GAME | 10/7/12: Eagles 14 at Steelers 16. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger throws for 220 yards & TD. Steelers K Shaun Suisham kicks GW 34-yard FG as time expires. | |
| LAST GAME AT SITE | 9/21/08: Eagles 15, Steelers 6. Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb throws for 196 yards & TD. Eagles WR Hank Basket has 8 catches for 85 yards. | |
| REFEREE | Brad Allen | |
| BROADCAST | CBS (4:25 PM ET): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 132 (Pit), 82 (Phi). XM: 380 (Pit), 82 (Phi). | |
STATS
| PASSING | Ben Roethlisberger: 46-74-559-6 (1L)-3-95.5 | Carson Wentz (R): 43-71-468-3-0-94.1 |
| RUSHING | DeAngelo Williams: 58-237 (1L)-4.1-2 | Mathews: 31-109-3.5-3 (T1L) |
| RECEIVING | Antonio Brown: 12-165-13.8-2 | Matthews: 13-185-14.2-1 |
| OFFENSE | 405.5 | 341.5 |
| TAKE/GIVE | +1 | +4 (3L) |
| DEFENSE | 398.0 | 286.0 (2L) |
| SACKS | Arthur Moats: 1 | Brandon Graham: 2 |
| INTs | James Harrison, Ryan Shazier: 1 | Nigel Bradham, Rodney McLeod: 1 |
| PUNTING | Jordan Berry: 48.4 | Donnie Jones: 46.6 |
| KICKING | Chris Boswell: 14 (8/8 PAT; 2/2 FG) | Caleb Sturgis: 20 (5/6 PAT; 5/6 FG) |
NOTES
STEELERS: QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER leads NFL with 6 pass TDs. Aims for 4th in row with 3+ TD passes. Is 31-13 (.705) in career vs. NFC with 96.8 rating & has won 4 of past 5 interconference starts…RB DE ANGELO WILLIAMS leads NFL with 237 rush yards. Is oldest player in NFL history to rush for 200+ yards in team’s 1st 2 games. Had career-high 101 rec. yards vs. Phi. (12/4/06 with Car.). In 5 games vs. NFC with Pit., has 6 rush TDs…WR ANTONIO BROWN has 106 catches for 1,481 yards (113.9 per game) & 13 TDs in past 13 vs. NFC. Since 2013, leads NFL with 387 catches & 5,196 rec. yards. TEs JESSE JAMES & XAVIER GRIMBLE each had TD catch last week. WR SAMMIE COATES had 2 catches for 97 yards in Week 2 & is averaging 38.3 yards per catch in 2016 (4 catches, 153 yards)…LB RYAN SHAZIER leads team with 17 tackles. Has 22 tackles, 2 FFs, FR, INT & sack in past 3 vs. NFC. CB WILLIAM GAY has 5 INT-TDs since 2013, tied for most in NFL. LB LAWRENCE TIMMONS had 9 tackles & FF in last meeting…EAGLES: Rookie QB CARSON WENTZ passed for 190 yards & TD last week. Became first rookie QB since 1970 to win first two starts of season & throw 0 INTs…RB RYAN MATHEWS had 2 rush TDs in Week 2. Aims for 3rd in row at home with rush TD…WR JORDAN MATTHEWS has TD catch in 6 of past 8. Aims for 4th in row at home with 100+ rec. yards & TD. TE TREY BURTON had 1st career TD catch last week. TE BRENT CELEK had TD catch in last meeting…DT FLETCHER COX has 9.5 sacks in past 8 at home. Aims for 3rd in row with sack vs. AFC. DE BRANDON GRAHAM has 2 sacks & FF in past 2. Rookie DT DESTINY VAEAO had 1st career sack & FF last week. LB CONNOR BARWIN has 7.5 sacks in past 7 vs. AFC. Had sack in last game vs. Pit (10/2/11 with Hou). LB NIGEL BRADHAM had INT in Week 2.
5 Comments
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DaveB.
September 21, 2016 at 5:26 am
A rookie quarterback in only his third game against the Steeler defense . That usually means a long day for the rookie . If our linebackers can get pressure on him the Steelers have a chance to be dominant in this game . Lastly , if this games turns into a shootout its game over for Mr. Wentz .
DrGeorge
September 21, 2016 at 11:29 am
True, DaveB. And we should have Wheaton healthy for this game. The flip side, however, is that the Eagles defense looks pretty good, and they can mount a pass rush. Their O-line was able to protect Wentz and mount a rushing attack against the lowly Bears. Whether they can do that against the Steelers is the question, but Wentz doesn’t play like your average rookie, and the game promises to be more competitive than the odds-makers think.
DrGeorge
September 21, 2016 at 3:40 pm
As an addendum to previous comments about winning without a tier 1 QB, note that Zak Prescott (a rookie 4th round pick) at Dallas has stepped in for Tony Romo and won; ditto the 2-year man Siemian at Denver, replacing P. Manning. The L.A. Rams are following a similar strategy with Case Keenun at QB; the big money went into improving the defense, and it’s paying dividends. Tonight, we will see whether Belichick can adapt his offense to rookie Brissett (replacing the injured Garapollo who himself replaced T. Brady). So far the Patriots have managed nicely without Brady.
I also cautioned about putting too much money on the offensive side of the ball and predicted it would have an negative impact on the Seahawks and Ravens. It has. The Steelers have big money tied up in Ben R., Ladarius Green, DeCastro, and A. Brown – all on offense. Which explains why the defense is thin in spots and lacking in others. Whether this strategy will succeed long-term remains to be seen.
DrGeorge
September 23, 2016 at 11:18 am
An addendum to my addendum: Brissett led the Patriots to a 27-0 victory over the Texans Thursday night. Could he do it for an entire season? Probably not. But it illustrates that point above: a good coach can win consistently with a solid defense and O-line, even without a Tier 1 QB. And paying a Tier 1 QB too much money may prevent a team from building (or keeping) a first rate defense and O-line, as Seattle and Titans are learning.
DrGeorge
September 23, 2016 at 11:19 am
An addendum to my addendum: Brissett led the Patriots to a 27-0 victory over the Texans Thursday night. Could he do it for an entire season? Probably not. But it illustrates that point above: a good coach can win consistently with a solid defense and O-line, even without a Tier 1 QB. And paying a Tier 1 QB too much money may prevent a team from building (or keeping) a first rate defense and O-line, as Seattle and Tennessee are learning.