Predicting the outcome of Steelers Week 5 matchup vs. Eagles

The Pittsburgh Steelers look to keep their perfect record alive as they host the Philadelphia Eagles. Here is my prediction for the game.

Steelers fans could get used to this. Normally it takes until about Week 5 or so for Mike Tomlin and his crew to get this team rolling, but Pittsburgh now has their first 3-0 start in ten years. In fact, they have a chance to make this the first 4-0 start since 1979 when the Steelers would go on to win the Super Bowl.

Normally by this point in the season, the Steelers would have already faced a challenging opponent who impressed in the previous season or crank up the intensity against a heated division rival. However, with the Titans game being pushed back until Week 7, The Philadelphia Eagles boast the best record among the teams Pittsburgh has faced so far in 2020. Remarkably, that record is just 1-2-1.

Somehow, this is record is good enough to be the sole leader of the NFC East entering Week 5. Still, it’s important that the Steelers don’t take this game lightly.

Predicting the results of the Steelers vs. Eagles game

The Eagles are far from a perfect team in 2020. They have a quarterback who has been up and down and a shaky offensive line. In addition, they rank 26th in the NFL in points per game, while their defense is 20th in the league in surrendering points to their opponents, according to Team Rankings.

Philadelphia’s only win of 2020 came last week against an incredibly banged-up 49ers team. Prior to that, the Eagles tied the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime and have double-digit losses against the Los Angeles and The Washington Football Team.

The Steelers, on the other hand, have yet to lose a game. But it’s important to note that all three of their wins have come against teams with a combined record of 1-11 on the season – not exactly the cream of the crop.

After an early bye, the Steelers are one of the healthiest teams in the league, and they’ve had plenty of time to start preparing to host the Eagles. As of Wednesday afternoon, Pittsburgh remained 7-point favorites over Philadelphia, courtesy of The Action Network. However, it’s unclear which direction that line could tilt as we draw closer to kickoff.

The last time these two teams played, the Eagles embarrassed the Steelers with a 34-3 beatdown. I’m willing to bet that doesn’t happen this time around. Though Pittsburgh typically doesn’t match up well with Philadephia, Tomlin’s team holds the advantage in this one. T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree should be able to exploit a vulnerable offensive line that already lost Jason Peters and Andre Dillard.

Offensively, the Eagles have already given up a 37-point game this season, and their secondary can be exploited. Though I still envision this being a close contest for most of the game, I do have the Steelers taking care of business against inferior competition for the fourth straight week.

Score prediction: Steelers 24 Eagles 20

Though it wasn’t ideal to have a Week 4 bye, the Steelers get the advantage of facing four teams with a combined record of 2-13-1 to begin the season. They should be able to take care of business again this week against an underwhelming Eagles team.