| Advertisement |
PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers defense is getting closer to resembling a Pittsburgh defense of old, which could spell trouble for Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. The Steelers are seventh in the NFL in scoring defense through the first two weeks of the season, allowing an average of 16 points per game. They're also No. 2 against the run, allowing an average of 50 yards per game.
Advertisement
Getting ahead in games and getting the first two opponents in second- and third-and-long situations has helped the Steelers get the better of Washington's Kirk Cousins and Cincinnati's Andy Dalton, two quarterbacks who helped lead their teams to division titles last season.
This week it will be the rookie Wentz, who will be making his third career start. Those old Steelers defense always gave rookie quarterbacks hard times. Since 2004, the Steelers are 19-2 against rookie quarterbacks.
Wentz has defeated the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears in his first two starts. He figures to get a much stiffer test against the Steelers. Nonetheless, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who knows a thing or two about having success as a rookie in the NFL, has been impressed with Wentz.
"I think he's doing a really good job of that right now, letting the game come to him, not forcing it, "Roethlisberger said. "You see him throwing balls away, not trying to make too many crazy throws down the field and using his legs when needed. He's a really smart guy, smart player, physically gifted. All that kind of helps, and his preparation's pretty good."
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said first-year Eagles coach Doug Pederson has put Wentz in positions to succeed.
"Their coaching staff has also done a heck of a job in terms of aiding him in taking care of the ball and not doing some of the things that often trips up young guys," Tomlin said. "They've been very methodical in terms of their approach in how they attack defenses. They spread some defenses out. You saw on Monday night, they came out and spread the Bears out in Chicago. They've done some misdirection passes. In Week One they came out heavy in the misdirection passing game.
"They are doing a nice job of keeping defenses off-balance and changing the timing in which the ball comes out, changing the launch point. Carson is doing a great job of making reads and getting them into good plays and maybe getting them out of some bad plays. He is showing great maturity for a young from that perspective in terms of the amount of communication he is involved with at the line of scrimmage.
While the Steelers defense will do their best to confuse Wentz and get him off his game, the offense will be challenged by a much-improved Eagles defense. The Eagles had ranked among the worst defenses in the league the past few years, but they're second in the league in scoring defense (12 points per game) and fourth in total defense (286 yards per game).
"They're very good," Roethlisberger said. "Obviously Fletcher (Cox) and the rest of those guys, they have a lot of speed on the outside, getting around the edges. And then, Fletcher and those guys get speed up the middle, so I think that's where it starts for them, getting pressure on the quarterback. Maybe not blitzing all the time, but just counting on those four-, five-, six-man rushes to get it done."
SERIES HISTORY: 78th regular-season meeting. Eagles lead series, 46-28-3. The Steelers have not won in their past eight trips to Philadelphia. The previous time they won there was 1965.This is only the fifth meeting since 2000. The Steelers lost to the Eagles, 21-0, in the only playoff game between these two teams in 1947.
GAME PLAN: The Steelers are among the top rushing teams in the NFL and they'll test an Eagles defense that ranks 10th in the league against the run through the first two weeks of the season. DeAngelo Williams leads the league with 237 rushing yards and they won't shy away from feeding him the ball in what will be the final game he has to be the workhorse. Le'Veon Bell returns in Week 4 after serving his three-game suspension.
The Steelers haven't blitzed much through the first two weeks of the season, choosing instead to primarily rush three and four. The game plan has worked as they've allowed only two touchdowns, one each to the Redskins and Bengals. That might change this week when they face rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler will give Wentz some different looks and it's never a bad idea to try to rattle a rookie making his third career start. Wentz hasn't made many mistakes in his first two NFL starts. He has thrown three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Steelers will look to force some mistakes Sunday.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
--Steelers passing offense vs. Eagles pass defense. The Steelers struggled throwing in soggy conditions against Cincinnati. Antonio Brown only had four receptions for 39 yards. But the lack of success won't deter the Steelers from trying to challenge an Eagles secondary that is allowing only 194 passing yards per game in their first two outings against the Browns and Bears. Look for Ben Roethlisberger to test Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin.
--Steelers secondary against Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. The Steelers rank 31st in the league in pass defense, but statistics can be deceiving. The Steelers might be giving up a lot of passing yards, but many of those have come late in games when they've held double-digit fourth-quarter leads against the Redskins and Bengals. The Eagles haven't been afraid to throw with Wentz at quarterback, and he'll get his chance to throw against a unit that has allowed 347.5 passing yards per game.
