4 reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers will win in their week 5 match up vs. the Eagles
James Conner is back, and I like his new partner in crime.
The Week 3 matchup against Houston has shown me two things about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ running back room. First, James Conner is healthy and chugging along. He isn’t breaking away with 50-yard touchdowns by any means. However, he can wear down a defense so thoroughly. The Eagles have a deep amount of talent on their defensive line. Yet, I really see Conner wearing down on them. We have to consider the fact that DeCastro is back and healthy as his presence on the inside should help in dealing with the likes of Fletcher Cox or Malik Jackson on the interior.
James Conner is averaging a healthy 5.6 yards per carry. Out of the NFL’s running backs with at least 25 carries that makes him 7th in the league. If we take into account the fact that he only has one run over 30 yards on the season tells me that this high average is not a streaky thing. He is consistently getting good yardage at a decent rate. He hasn’t been a homerun-hitter out of the backfield, but he doesn’t have to be. As a running back in this system, his job has been to move the chains and make 3rd downs more manageable. He is giving that consistently.
His new partner in crime has to be Anthony McFarland Jr. McFarland should be seeing more touches this week, as I look for the Steelers to run off tackle more while utilizing sweeps and counters to help avoid the immense talent on the interior. I personally believe McFarland has earned the reps as well. His change of pace really opened things up for Conner in the latter parts of their match up with the Texans enough, that I really see the Steelers experimenting with this combination a lot more.
Related Story. 5 bold predictions for the Steelers in Week 5 vs. Eagles. light
McFarland is just so fast that I’m looking for him to break a big one in this game. The Eagles strong point is their defense. I still see Conner delivering the body blows while bringing in McFarland for the knockout punch. This is a 1-2 combination the Eagles should be worried about.