Steelers @ Eagles Week 3 Preview: The Fight in Philly
Steelers travel to Philadelphia for exciting Week 3 NFL matchup
Off to a good start the Pittsburgh Steelers are not afraid to take on a worthy opponent on the road. However they also are not about to take the Philadelphia Eagles lightly. And they shouldn't.
For both teams the third game of the season still is not a guage of the team you will be by mid season but it is a game that you must recognize your identity and raise the bar from the first couple games. The Steelers and the Eagles both had inferior clashes in their opening game. Each team putting up 38 points and each defense living up to the pre season predictions.
In game 2, the Steelers however had Tropical winds to contend with in their physical battle with Cleveland and only put up 10 points in a victory over the Browns in the Cleveland dog pound. Philadelphia traveled to Dallas and put up 37 points against a Championship caliber team and divisional rival. Although they lost the contest because they allowed 41 points. It should be noted that 7 of those points came via a kick return.
So what can we foresee when these 2 titans meet this weekend? We should also reserve the knowledge that the Eagles are coming off of a short week. It is hard to factor in the impact that will have. Injury wise the Eagles have no glaring concerns other than having lost Kevin Curtis in the pre-season for a month or more. DE Victor Abiamiri is out for sure also but he doesn't have a track record of any consequence to measure what if any effect that has. Guard Shawn Andrews though would be a blow to Philadelphia if he didn't play. He did miss practice Wednesday but is expected to go. Pittsburgh's roster has the usual bumps and scratches but most everyone is probably going to be ready. Yes Ben has his shoulder issue but he practiced Wednesday and will play this week. And Mike Tomlin is still perturbed over the media reports that Ben's shoulder was separated.
Let's start with the Pittsburgh defense led by the defensive player of the week Troy Polamalu. Frankly the Steelers defense matches up against any offense in the NFL. The linebacker gang is at the heart of their defensive prowess. There is no reason to expect Philadelphia to score 30+ points this week. And honestly living in the Philadelphia area I am quite familiar with the Eagles personnel and capabilities. They are a very good offense but it is predicated on 2 things and 2 things only.
First and foremost Brian Westbrook and second a rejuvenated Donovan McNabb. The Steelers are one of only a couple teams that have the speed to keep Westbrook in check. Of course he is still a concern but there isn't a panic if the Eagles can manufacture a perceived mismatch with Westbrook lined up as a receiver. The Steelers linebackers have the cover speed to match his and the one on one tackling skills to stop him in the open field.
That leaves McNabb. There is no mystery to the Steelers philosophy at getting to a QB. Dick LeBeau, Steelers defensive coordinator will have his usual blitz packages and disguised coverages. And even though McNabb still has some elusiveness the Steelers are disciplined enough to stay at home and contain a potential "jailbreak" from a quarterback.
Also when playing the Eagles a defense has a few things going for them right out of the gate. Andy Reid has an obsession with passing the ball and can easily be manipulated into turning his team into a one dimensional offense. Although Marty Morningwig is the play caller of record, Andy can't stop himself from micro managing his offense. If you watched the Monday Night game against Dallas you witnessed that first hand. By the 3rd quarter old Andy politely sent Marty into his shadow and started calling the plays. So whoever is calling the plays, if Andy wants to throw they will throw.
Which is compounded by defect #2. Other than Westbrook the Eagles don't really have anyone else consistant who can run the ball if they wanted to run the ball. Correll Buckhalter has marginal talent but rarely is a factor against elite defenses. And Lorenzo Booker is more of a third down specialist. (I regretably want to slip in here that Pittsburgh has not shown the 2nd man in the backfield capability yet either. Rashard Mendenhall has not materialized as the pinch hitter I thought he could be. I am convincing myself that is this is a "growing into the role" approach by the Steelers coaching staff. Time will tell.)
A third weakness to take advantage of is the sub par receiving corps of Philadelphia. Yes they can surprise you at times but all in all not much specialized coverages should be needed. They are professional so you still have to be aware of what they are trying to do. And DeSean Jackson has shown the potential to be a big play threat if left unchecked. But Westbrook is still their second best receiver and he is a running back. And we already know what they have to do with him. Reggie Brown, guilty of impersonating a #1 or #2 wide out, has not played due to injury but has been practicing so he might play. Why I am mentioning this I am not sure, he just another pedestrian receiver that only occasionally has any impact. In Pittsburgh we call this kind of receiver Nate Washington, at the moment that is, hopefully Nate will progress.
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Speaking of the Steelers offense this week will present some obstacles. Running against Philadelphia may prove to be a "Mano o Mano" situation. I venture to say though I see Willie Parker having more success than previous backfields have had thus far against Philly. I am looking for a 18 carries, 77 yards kind of game. For Ben Roethlisberger and the air apparent receivers there should be some golden opportunities. Long time and Pro Bowl Eagles free safety Brian Dawkins has been burnt more times than anyone in the stock market recently has been. And they don't have the guts to sit him for Quentin Mikell who has been pretty good. That may be because Mikell is also needed in other coverages due to the fact that the rest of the Eagles safeties are that great either. Exhibit A: Flat foot Sean Considine. This has left a vulnerable spot down the middle of the field. Which if the St Louis Rams weren't so horrific and poorly coached they could have taken advantage of that in week 1. They still would have lost but they may have scored a few more points. The Cowboys on the other hand, granted an actual NFL franchise, completed passes at an impressive 10.4 yards per attempt! Anything 8 yards and above is considered a quality effort. And Ben has 2 weeks straight of over 9 yards per attempt. So if he can suffer through the pain of his sprained shoulder he may be able to throw a little more than he has. Maybe 19 - 30 for 295 yards kind of day for 2 TD's. This should also give Heath Miller a chance to have more receptions than a summer's worth of weddings. I imagine Santonio Holmes taking a shot at a long post pattern and Hines Ward and his "no fear of going across the middle of the field" attitude, yielding dividends.
Pittsburgh may be suspect to a DeSean Jackson return threat and better do a good job with their special teams. Both field goal kickers, Jeff Reed for Pittsburgh and David Akers for Philadelphia, deliver very accurate attempts from from 49 yards and in. Both have the leg and have had conversions from 50+ yards also.
This will be a great game for me to watch because I have been a die hard Steelers fan for my entire life. That said I unashamedly admit I have a small place in my rooting heart for the home town Eagles. The Philadelphia suburbs have been my home for most of my life.
Of course that gets thrown out the window this week. It's all Steelers for me. And that is good for me because I am projecting a Steeler triumph at the tune of 17 - 9. 3 and 0 will look nice on Monday in the AFC NORTH standings.
By Andy Natalie
ProFootball-fans.com Pittsburgh Steelers Correspondent