The Eagles face their state rival the Pittsburgh Steelers. This game is the Eagles biggest challenge to date. In weeks one and two, the Eagles breezed past their opponents. The Steelers offer much more than those teams, the Eagles are going to have to dig deep if they want to win. Here are three things that need to happen in order for an Eagles win.
Firstly, the defensive line needs to show up and play. It is safe to say the Eagles do not have to best cornerbacks. Also, the Steelers possess the best wide receiver in the NFL, Antonio Brown obviously. The defensive line needs to make Ben Roethlisberger’s day a living nightmare. Constant pressure from guys like Brandon Graham, Connor Barwin, Vinny Curry, and of course Fletcher Cox are going to be key. The Steelers have a pretty decent offensive line, so it is not going to be easy. The Eagles defensive line needs to be ready for a fight, a fight they need to win.
The play of Carson Wentz has been pretty impressive in the first two weeks. The Steelers are a lot better than the two opponents he has faced already. With that being said, Wentz needs to be able to keep his poise. Wentz has played like a veteran quarterback so far, he needs to play like that tomorrow. In his first two games not only has he thrown no interceptions, he also has the highest completion percentage against the blitz. If that does not say how poised he has been, I do not know what will. In fact, Wentz has played so well so far that
ProFootballFocus.com has rated him the number one quarterback in the NFL. He has had a great start to the NFL, if the Eagles want to win, they need Wentz to keep up his play.
The last key to the game for the Eagles is the run game. During the game versus Chicago, the Eagles could not get the run game going. They ended the game with 100 yards rushing with Darren Sproles leading the way with 40 yards rushing. The Steelers are not going to make things easy for Wentz. A successful run game will make things a lot easier for Wentz. A successful run game opens up the passing game and it makes the defense uncertain, it throws them off their game. The Eagles need to get the run game going early on in this football game. It will make things a lot easier for Wentz.
If the Eagles get those three things, they will have a very good chance of winning. Do not get me wrong, the Steelers are a very good team. However, the Eagles are very high on spirits. They are also home at the Linc. The place was rocking week one versus the Browns, the Eagles should expect no different. Here’s to hoping the Eagles win tomorrow and go into the bye week 3-0.