NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 following their victory against the Carolina Panthers. The Steelers are coming off a revenge win against the Cleveland Browns and will look to continue to build momentum for their playoff run. The Eagles are still in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a loss here could hurt their chances.
The bigger question heading into his contest is the focus of the Philadelphia Eagles. Following remarks made by players, will the Eagles come out with their minds on the game or what’s going on in the press? Jalen Hurts and his receivers must be on the same page. And even despite ther success, this Eagles bunch cannot allow themselves to get sucked into a black hole of sorts.
Here are 3 keys to victory for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Air The Ball Out
We all knew this was coming. The Eagles are riding a 9-game winning streak and now it seems it all could be falling apart. However, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith have a point, which I have been harping on for weeks in my prior keys to victory articles. The Eagles cannot keep relying on Saquon Barkley to bail them out. At some point, they have to prove to everyone, including themselves that they can air it out if they have to.
Hurts and Kellen Moore must come out in the first quarter and do just that. it doesn’t matter what the Steelers’ defense is showing, they just have to drop back and let it rip. Brown and Smith are a dynamic duo, but the passing attack would benefit the ground game in a big way. The Steelers are surrendering 218 Yards per game through the air, while the Eagles rank 31st in Passing Yards per game.
Contain The Ground Game
The Steelers have Russell Wilson and George Pickens but they also have a backfield that is finding their groove. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are one heck of a one-two punch. This season, Harris has rushed for 877 yards and Warren for 359 yards. This is an area of concern for the Eagles, especially with Pickens out with a hamstring injury this week.
The Eagles are surrendering 105 yards per game and after allowing Chuba Hubbard to have his way last week, the front seven of the defense will look to right the ship against the Steelers. Wilson can throw the ball deep with the best of them but stopping the run will make their offense one-dimensional which will bode well for the secondary.
Stay Focused
With everything going on this week, can the Eagles find it in themselves to put everything behind them and focus on the Steelers? AJ Brown caused a stir following the Panthers win he he stated that the passing needs to be better. Doesn’t matter who he was talking about when mentioning this, but the Eagles have to put that in the rearview mirror and get the job done.
This team cannot afford another late-season collapse as they did last year. While young at some positions, this team still has a few veteran players. The noise is coming from their leadership and that’s what’s scary. Will Nick Sirianni have them laser-focused against another playoff team or will they wilt under the pressure?
