On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to the other side of the state to play the Philadelphia Eagles. Teams who are 11-2 and 10-3 square off, and both teams have contenders for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
In the midst of what may be a record-breaking season, Saquon Barkley is posing a threat to Eric Dickerson’s record for the most rushing yards in a season. The Eagles want to improve their passing in the meantime. The Eagles’ defense features elite players at all three levels and is in the top five in every metric.
Three important starters for the Steelers—George Pickens, DeShon Elliott, and Larry Ogunjobi—will not be available. But the defense is putting on one of its best shows of the year, and Russell Wilson is playing at a high level.
My predictions for Sunday’s Steelers vs. Eagles game are as follows:
Players on the spot: In Pickens’ absence, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receivers must step up. The squad must continue to play at an intense pace if they are to win this game. When Pickens is on the field, they have the eighth-best explosive play rate in the NFL; when he is not, they rank 17th. In actuality, without Pickens, the Steelers’ numbers completely collapse. They drop to 29th in yards per play, 26th in EPA/Play, and 31st in success rate.
The Steelers need to have players like Calvin Austin III, Mike Williams, and Van Jefferson produce plays against a strong defense, even though they did score 27 points against the Cleveland Browns and the defense could aid with some short fields like they did against Cleveland. If they are unable to score points, they will not be able to win.
Don’t be shocked if.In this one, the offense of the Steelers collapses. Without the finest weapon in their passing game, they could be up against the NFL’s top defense. There are no vulnerabilities in this Eagles defense, and if the Panthers did find any last week, the return of Sydney Brown and Reed Blankenship should help strengthen some of those secondary areas. Despite Russell Wilson’s excellent play, the Steelers offense has been erratic, and this defense is truly outstanding.
Rather than efficiency, volume has been the primary factor in their rushing statistics. They only rank 22nd in EPA/Play and 23rd in success percentage. Furthermore, Arthur Smith is the NFL’s best offensive coordinator when it comes to calling second-and-long runs. The Eagles have the man coverage cornerbacks to stymie the Steelers’ wide receivers, and that might put them in third-and-long situations a lot during this game. For this offense, the day can be difficult.
I like the following prop bets:
Jaylen Warren had more than 25 receiving yards (FanDuel: +152).
Saquon Barkley has more than 118.5 total yards from both running and receiving (-114, FanDuel).
Over 5.5 tackles by Minkah Fitzpatrick (-150, Bet365)
Over 0.25 sacks, Cam Heyward (+240, DraftKings)
PREDICTION: The Steelers will have a difficult game because of the injuries. The departure of DeShon Elliott and Larry Ogunjobi hurts their run defense, and the loss of George Pickens severely hurts their offense’s explosive passing game. The Steelers would lose badly in this game, mostly because of the mounting injuries and conditions. Since 1965, the Steelers have also failed to win in Philadelphia. I have a hard time choosing Pittsburgh. They lose this one, in my opinion.Steelers 16, Eagles 31
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