The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers might have started 10-3 with the AFC North lead, but as everyone knows, they face a brutal stretch against the Eagles and Ravens on the road followed by the Chiefs at Acrisure on Christmas.
As starting safety DeShon Elliott explained, “It’s just going to show us how good we can be.”
Elliott is right. And perhaps the game against the Eagles at Philadelphia offers the most unique measuring stick. The Steelers haven’t won in Philadelphia since 1965, when Lyndon Johnson was President and man on the moon was science fiction.
It isn’t just that the Steelers have lost in Philly, it how they’ve lost:
- In 1979 the Eagles dealt the defending and future Super Bowl Champions their first loss
- In 1997, the Steelers only lost by 3, but they also lost Greg Lloyd for good
- In 2008, the Steelers only lost 15 to 6 but Ben Roethlisberger took 9 sacks
- In 2016, the Steelers lost 34 to 3 and were lucky to get that field goal
- In 2022, the Steelers lost 35 to 13 bringing the Steelers to 2-6 at the bye
That 2022 loss adds extra relevance to this Sunday’s match up. The final score doesn’t indicate just how lopsided that game was. Neither does the fact that the Steelers were “only” down 21-10 at the half.
Haason Reddick hits Kenny Pickett. Photo Credit: John Geibeiler, Eagles.com
That 2022 loss to the Eagles was the worst ass-kicking the Steelers have suffered in the post-Roethlisberger era. Philadelphia played like a team headed to the Super Bowl – as it was. The Steelers played like a team positioning itself a top 5 draft pick, which they weren’t.
Shortly after the game Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell took time out to assure citizens of Steelers Nation that there was a bright side. He drew attention to Jalen Hurts’ journey with the Eagles from a 4-11-1 team in ‘20, to an 9-8 team in ’21 to the then-undefeated that finished the season playing for a Lombardi.
The focus of Wexell’s article was to draw a potential parallel between Hurt’s and Kenny Pickett’s development. Obviously Kenny Pickett will be on the Eagles sideline this week, but at the team-level the metaphor still holds.
Just glance at the Pro Football Reference box score from that game, and you’ll see just how much has changed.
- The Eagles sacked Pickett six times that day
- A.J. Brown torched the Steelers for 3 TDs of 27 yards plus
- Miles Sanders gashed the Steelers for 78 yards and an 8.6 yards-per-carry average
- T.J. Watt missed this game – Malik Reed and Ryan Anderson took his place
- The Steelers only touchdown came on a Chase Claypool to Derek Watt pass
The Steelers will bring a changed roster to Philadelphia and the points you see above fuel the reasons why they made many of those changes:
- Dan Moore is the only returning member of the offensive line
- Ahkello Witherspoon started at corner – he’s long gone
- So did James Pierre – he’s improved, but is tellingly a backup now
- Terrell Edmunds has left, returned and left again
- Robert Spillane, Myles Jack and Devin Bush manned the center of the defense that day
- Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts and Payton Wilson have replaced them
- Darnell Washington replaces Zach Gentry opposite Pat Freiermuth
Nick Herbig and T.J. Watt. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
Not only will T.J. Watt will play but the Steelers will get Nick Herbig and Preston Smith on the field alongside Watt and Alex Highsmith not because they need to, but because they want to.
The Eagles have made their own changes. The biggest one involves Saquon Barkley a running back so good he literally leaps past defenders while running backwards.
The biggest change is the one we haven’t discussed yet – Russell Wilson will be the Steelers signal caller. Wilson not sports a Super Bowl ring but also a 4-0 record playing in Philadelphia, including a playoff win.
No matter how you slice it, the Steelers have improved their roster since that ugly beating suffered on Halloween Eve just over two years ago. Has Pittsburgh beefed up enough to break a 59 year losing streak against an almost certain Conference Championship participant?
It is time to find out.
If the Steelers win (IF), it will be a great “statement game” for this season’s Steelers. However, I hope by winning they don’t suffer injuries that will impact the most important game of the season; next week’s rematch with the Ravens.
If the Steelers lose (likely), this loss would have the least impact on their overall playoff standings (except for SOV vs the Bills).
Either way, my biggest fear is injury or exhaustion leading up to the Ratbirds game next week….THAT GAME is where we can cement the AFCN crown; the Eagles game and the following games against the Chiefs and Bungles would be icing on the cake after a victory in Baltimore.