The Pittsburgh Steelers will aim to put the disappointing end to their 2017 NFL season behind them as they face the defending Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles in their preseason opening game on Thursday night at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh is coming off its second consecutive AFC North Division championship after finishing the regular season with a 13-3 record. The Steelers also earned their first bye in round one of the playoffs for the first time since 2010. But their season came to a sudden halt as they were outgunned in a high scoring affair against the Jacksonville Jaguars in their playoff debut 42-25.
On the other side of the field, the Philadelphia Eagles are still enjoying their first ever Super Bowl victory. Despite plenty of adversity during the regular season, the Eagles finished 2017 with a 13-3 record, then breezed through the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round, defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship and then outdueled Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 41-33 in the championship game.
The Steelers have one of the most talented rosters in the entire NFL so it was pretty much surprising to see them lose in the divisional round to the Jaguars during last season’s playoffs. With their core returning to the fold this year, the Steelers are looking to make a deep run and hopefully win the Lombardi trophy before their window closes.
As Ben Roethlisberger enters his 15th season in the NFL, the Steelers drafted Mason Rudolph from Oklahoma State in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, hoping that he becomes the quarterback of the future and just in case the 36-year-old Roethlisberger decides to hang up his cleats after next season.
Running back Le’Veon Bell isn’t expected to play until the start of the regular season after he and the Steelers failed to come to terms to a new contract during the offseason. With Bell expected to be out and Roethlisberger aging fast, the Steelers are likely going to give their young players plenty of playing time on Thursday. Rudolph is probably going to benefit from this as he will get his opportunity to impress his coaches in preseason play.
Last season, the Eagles lost starting quarterback Carson Wentz to a season ending injury but instead of falling apart, the Eagles rallied behind Nick Foles. Foles led the Eagles in the playoffs and eventually to victory at Super Bowl LII and winning Super Bowl MVP award in the process.
After rehab, Wentz has finally been cleared to resume football activities, giving the Eagles both a dilemma and a good problem to have at their quarterback position. However, with Wentz still not cleared for contact, he isn’t a sure starter during week 1 of the regular season. But with Foles still there, the Eagles are certainly in good hands. What they do when both are ready and healthy though, remains to be seen. On Thursday though, it’s likely that both will sit out the game while third-year man Nate Sudfeld will probably get plenty of action.
The Eagles lost LeGarrette Blount to the Detroit Lions during the summer but the team is hopeful that the duo of Corey Clement and Jay Ajayi will be able to carry their running game next season. Ajayi is not expected to play for the Eagles on Thursday but Clement may be given minutes on the field. The addition of Haloti Ngata and Michael Bennett should make the Eagles defensive line much better this coming season.
The Steelers are 2-4 in their last 6 games against the Eagles but are 6-2 in their last 8 games overall. Meanwhile, the Eagles are 4-1 in their last 5 games and 9-1 overall at home last season.
This game between in-state rivals will be an opportunity for the Steelers to tinker their lineup and sort things out while preparing for the regular season. Without Le’Veon Bell, James Conner-who ran for 144 yards last season, will get his chance to prove that he is a feature running back. We’ll also see plenty of playing time for Landry Jones, Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph.
On the Philadelphia side, Wentz isn’t available for this one but they certainly have more talent in the second and third tier of their depth chart, not just in the quarterback position but overall as well. That depth should be enough push them through the Steelers in this preseason game. We’re picking the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on 8/9/18.
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