There are plenty of happy folks in Pittsburgh right now. The Steelers sit at a 10-3 record and the holiday season is kicking into high gear. It feels good to be watching football, and their favorite team is starting to show they could be Super Bowl contenders. They have only lost to non-playoff opponents to this point, which included the Colts, Browns, and Cowboys.
On the flip side of this Week 15 matchup, the Eagles will be playing host to Mike Tomlin's club. Philadelphia has won nine straight games, despite plenty of disfunction popping up within their locker room. They have been able to find ways to win football games, even though it might not be in the dominant fashion their fanbase has grown to expect.
Don't anticipate the Steelers winning this matchup on the road. It is an uphill battle for them to climb, and they haven't won a contest in Philadelphia in 59 years, which is a tough number to wrap your head around. Sometimes Pittsburgh pulls a win out of nowhere, no matter if experts are picking them in their weekly prediction articles or not. Either way, this is going to be a difficult challenge to overcome.
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia Week 15 prediction: Steelers 20, Eagles 19
You can mark up this pick as the boldest prediction of the season for the Steelers. Almost everyone will be expecting the Eagles to win this football game. Plenty of things are working against Pittsburgh going into this matchup. They will have to overcome many different roadblocks if they want this victory to come to light. Just because they are not favored doesn't mean they won't at least keep this close.
Pittsburgh has to find a way to keep their run game going and slow down a tough Eagles front. Perhaps Russell Wilson and company can keep their screen game going strong and get the ball out of the hands of their quarterback fast. If they can combine that with a strong run game on offense, then they will have a shot at winning this one. That of course is much easier said than done.
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When it comes to the Steelers' defense, they have to shut down the Eagles' run game and force Jalen Hurts to win with his arm. They need to defend against Philadelphia's offense similar to what they did against the Ravens. If they can do that and force Hurts into a couple of turnovers, then the Steelers could have plenty of great opportunities to capitalize.
If Pittsburgh can make this a low-scoring game, then they should be in the fight until the bitter end. It's unlikely they can win in a shootout with Philadelphia since the Eagles' defense has too many stout players. Don't chalk this up as a loss where the Steelers get dominated for an entire game. They should be ready to go. They will have to play a gritty style of football if they want to taste victory.