4 reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers will win in their week 5 match up vs. the Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are going to need to push the ball down the field against our Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers weakest part of their defense in 2019 was defending the run. To be fair, they weren’t even that bad at defending the run in 2019. However, it is easy to see that they have doubled down on defending the run in 2020. They are ranked #1 in the league in rushing yards allowed per game.
They are the only team in the NFL to hold opposing offenses to under 55 yards per game on average. and are one of 2 teams to hold opposing offenses to less than 75 yards per game on average. It really is remarkable seeing as how there wasn’t a defense in the league in 2019 to hold opponents under 70 rushing yards per game on average.
With the Pittsburgh Steelers playing absolutely remarkable defense in the run department, the Eagles are going to have to throw the ball. The good thing for the Eagles is that they have Zach Ertz. Ertz is one of the better tight ends in the league. He may not have the speed of guys like Travis Kelce or Darren Waller, but he is a big sure-handed target who is great at making contested catches. However, he is the one weapon in the passing game the Steelers really have to worry about.
The Eagles will be playing Sunday’s game without DeSean Jackson and Dallas Goedert. Alshon Jeffrey will not be participating as well, as he was kept out of practice all week due to illness. Greg Ward Jr., John Hightower, J. J. Arcega-Whiteside, and Travis Fulgham will be the wide receivers that Carson Wentz has at his disposal.
Greg Ward Jr. has flashed, but he has played a total of 11 games in his two-year career. Whiteside has played 19 games. He made an appearance in all 16 games in 2019, which was his rookie year. However, he posted a poor 45% catch percentage. Boise State product, John Hightower has eye-popping speed. However, as a rookie, entering his 5th NFL game he hasn’t shown much splash. His route running, and physicality needs to be developed and as a result, his biggest chance at making a play is to win a foot race on a go-route. Travis Fulgham has as many catches as he has years in the league. It is his sophomore season and he is entering week 5 with 2 catches.
With a very limited amount of experience at the wide receiver spot and a lack of star talent, this is going to be a rough one for the Eagles in terms of throwing the ball. The Steelers should be able to have a field day in zone coverage while using their blitzes against a group of young, inexperienced, receivers. It will be a little rough for a lot of these skill players to find the soft spots in coverage.