Considering Pittsburgh's disheartening history when playing in Philadelphia, nobody should have been surprised to see the Eagles claim the win over the Steelers. Pittsburgh hasn't won a game in this setting since 1965, and the next opportunity they get at redemption will come over 60 years since their last win in Philly.
This Week 15 contest felt hopeless from early in the game. Despite causing two takeaways in the first quarter, the Steelers quickly found themselves in a hole. After going down 17-3 halfway through the second quarter, the deficit proved too steep for Pittsburgh to climb back into the game.
There were an endless number of ugly stats in this contest for Mike Tomlin's team. Quarterback Russell Wilson completed just 14 of 22 passes for 128 yards (5.8 yards per attempt) and one touchdown, Najee Harris had just 14 yards and a costly fumble on 2.3 yards per carry, and the Steelers allowed 9.1 yards per attempt and a 125.3 passer rating to quarterback Jalen Hurts.
But no stat was more humiliating that Pittsburgh's time of possession (or lack thereof).
In sixty minutes of football, the Steelers were nearly doubled in time of possession by the Eagles. Pittsburgh held the ball for a total of just 20:08 while Philadelphia maintained possession for a whopping 39:52.
There are plenty of fingers to point the blame.
Not only was Pittsburgh's defense incapable of getting Philly's offense off the field, but the Steelers offense couldn't sustain a drive to save their life. Because of this, the defense was running on fumes by the second half.
Steelers never stood a chance vs. Eagles
You can't get doubled in time of possession and expect to compete with an elite football team. The ridiculous discrepancy in time of possession in this Week 15 contest tells you everything you need to know about this game.
There's no sugarcoating it; the Steelers were kicked in the teeth by the Eagles and hope felt lost from the beginning. This was a rough matchup for Pittsburgh, to begin with, but what's discouraging is that Philadelphia's offense (which struggled over the past three weeks) had no trouble moving the football against the Steelers' defense.
If there's good news in all of this, it's that T.J. Watt — who left the game with a scary lower-leg injury — told the media he rolled his ankle, but X-rays came back negative. This is a good sign that not all hope is lost.
Look, the Steelers had a bad performance against a now 12-2 Eagles team on a 10-game winning streak. It happens. But let this be a wake-up call for Mike Tomlin and his squad. The Steelers need to turn around on a short week and beat the Ravens in Baltimore on Saturday if they want to keep control of the AFC North.
Things are about to get real, and the Steelers can't afford to fall apart down the stretch after getting embarrassed by the Eagles in Week 15.