4 reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers will win in their week 5 match up vs. the Eagles

Ben is maturing and getting better in 2020 at an alarming level

I think Ben has been playing at a very good capacity, considering his propensity for starting seasons off slow and missing an entire year of football, he has delivered for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020. We could also mention the fact that he is posting the highest QB rating on a season so far in 2020 that he has had in his career. Yet, I really really enjoy hearing Ben talk about things like his footwork after games. We’ve seen Ben come out in public to criticize other players, but the fact he would do that to himself really shows two things.

First, he can get as good as he gives. I like the fact that as a leader he is willing to open up about his own faults as freely as he would a teammate’s. Second, it is showing an attention to detail that you see in the very best. The fact that a 38-year-old first ballot hall of famer is recognizing and actively fixing his own issues, while publicly talking about it, is quite refreshing. I think coming off the bye week, he has had more time to work on some of the little details his body has forgotten after such a long break from football.

Almost equally as important, Diontae Johnson cleared concussion protocol, so Ben will have all of his weapons going into this matchup, thus at full strength. The same can’t be said for the Eagles secondary. With a safety and 2 corners on IR, things are looking bleak. Add in the fact that starting corner Avonte Maddox is out only makes it harder on this secondary. It will feel like Darius Slay vs the world on Sunday. While Pittsburgh should avoid throwing towards the former All-Pro, they can attack the rest of this secondary at will and it will likely end up in success.

The biggest thing that will help Ben is the fact that Philadelphia ranks 21st in the league in interceptions forced per game. #7 has been protecting the ball well so far in 2020, only throwing a single interception on the season. I think as long as Ben doesn’t force things, and utilizes his weapons’ natural abilities, JuJu is a red zone monster, Diontae is a big-play threat on the catch and run, Chase Claypool and James Washington can take it deep, he can use such an incredible stable of wide receivers with various elements they bring to the game to really just flat out take over on Sunday.

Also, don’t forget the struggles Philly has been having while defending tight ends. They are tied for allowing the second-most touchdowns per game to opposing tight ends and are tied for 4th in yards allowed for opposing tight ends. Eric Ebron was starting to get into a groove in Week 3 and I look for him to perform even better in this match up.