Eagles Need To Stay Grounded And Win Line Of Scimmage Vs. Steelers

The Philadelphia Eagles will try to sweep the AFC North when the Steelers pay a visit in Week 15, and the it will be a physical game.

Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata is looking forward to the matchup vs. Steelers defense in Week 15. / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA – The last thing the Eagles want to do is to try to force the pass against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that leads the league in takeaways. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has been good at not giving the ball up, with only one interception during the Eagles nine-game winning streak, which will be tested by a Steelers team that, like Philly, leads its respective division.

The Eagles will try to sweep the AFC North by beating the Steelers when they visit Sunday (4:25 p.m.). Already, Philly has polished off the Browns at home and the Bengals and Ravens on the road.

Since Hurts began taking better care of the ball, the Eagles have risen from minus-6 in the takeaway/giveaway category to plus-4, which ranks them ninth in the league. The Steelers are plus-17, which is tied with the Bills for first in the NFL.

With all the talk about the Eagles’ passing game needing to get on track, the last thing they need to do is overcorrect and Hurts starts taking chances in the air. The attack will begin, as it always does with the Eagles, trying to get Saquon Barkley loose behind an Eagles offensive line that is one of the best in the business.

“They've got some big dudes over there,” said Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, who, at age 35 is still playing at ahigh level and has eight sacks and 88.5 in a career that is beginning to look Hall of Fame worthy.

“They have a cohesiveness, whether it's (Jordan) Mailata, Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, (Cam) Jurgens, (Mekhi) Becton. They play well together, and they create some big lanes. You look at the run game and you say Saquon got some big holes.”

With Barkley, who leads the league in yards rushing with 1,623, the Eagles run offense ranks first in the NFL, averaging 190.5 yards per game.

Dec 8, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (6) looks to tackle Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (34) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

"I love that (physical aspect) every week,” said Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen. “It's different with this team. They've got big guys up front. Saquon is a great back. The stuff he is doing is crazy. Just making guys miss when they are right in front of him. You never know what you are getting with him. …You have to bring the fight to them."

Pittsburgh’s run defense is fourth in the league and has limited Ravens running back Derrick Henry to 65 yards on 13 carries and, in two games against the Browns’ Nick Chubb, held him to 48 yards on 11 carries and 59 yards on 20 rushes.

"It's going to be a great game,” said Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata. “It's going to be a great matchup. I think the depth that they have, the Steelers D-Line is credit to them for building that, but we have depth too, and we've got a great five up front, and it's going to be a battle for sure.”

The Eagles already faced the league’s top-ranked defense in the Ravens and put up 140 yards on them, with Barkley getting 107.

"Physicality plays a big part in this game,” said Heyward. “We have to make sure we win the line of scrimmage in this type of game. Everybody knows about the highfliers on both sides of the ball, but if you can't win the line of scrimmage, you're not going to win this game.”

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