First – the Eagles are obviously very banged up. What worries you most about the shape they are in right now?
I think the offensive line is the biggest worry. They will likely be staring four backups on the offensive line, depending on how Lane Johnson is doing. He’s been in and out of the lineup with a nagging ankle injury.
They have a rookie fourth round pick playing right tackle and Matt Pryor at right guard who they don’t like but have to play. They signed a veteran guard – Jamon Brown – off of the Bears practice squad so maybe we see him. They have an All-Pro center but he’s banged up, and at left tackle they are playing a guy who started his first game ever – not just NFL – first ever football game – last week. He played pretty well versus the 49’ers, but he played a game of football until 2018.
They’re also banged up at receiver but it seems like they have a few guys who may be showing something?
Travis Fulgham was a guy they signed late – he came in late to training camp and showed enough to get on the practice squad until they had to call him up and he made some plays.
Alshon Jeffrey and DeSean Jackson have been hurt and haven’t played. Ward has become their starting slot receiver and their rookie Hightower has been making some plays But it’s slim pickings. Fulgham had a nice 42-yard reception last week but he said he lost the ball in the lights and barely caught it – it was a very good throw by Wentz. He’s still made more plays than Arcega-Whiteside though, who was a former second-round pick.
I don’t know if Jeffrey or Jackson can play this week, and if they can, what they have in them right now.
Do you think last week’s win helped boost their confidence a bit?
I do. They weren’t looking like a confident team. Now, even in their win against the 49ers, they lost most of the metrics. They deserved to win, but the 49ers out-gained them by a good amount. It’s not like they thoroughly outplayed the 49ers. And the 49ers had a ton of injuries of their own – maybe more than the Eagles – and their backup quarterback played so poorly they benched him.
But having said that, they still looked like they played with more confidence. Pederson’s defining quality is getting the team to play it’s hardest when it’s back is against the wall. They are dangerous when they are the underdog.
What do you expect from the Eagles offense to deal with their injuries and the Steelers defense?
Carson will need to get the ball out quick. You can’t trust the offensive line. He’ll need to pick his spots – it’ll be a lot of dink and dunk ball. It’s frustrating to watch and not aesthetically pleasing. They are last in yards per play – it’s frustrating to see them get a 16 play drive that ends in three points. It’s demoralizing. But that may be the type of football they have to play.
I think they’ll rely on their defense. The line has come to life- 33 quarterback hits in three games is crazy. They’ll try and pummel Ben and make his life difficult.
Has Wentz looked good to you?
He hasn’t been good no. He’s dead last in passer rating – worse than Haskins who was just benched. I’m not saying he should be benched, but he’s playing that poorly. He has to find a rhythm versus the Steelers somehow.
I think if Pittsburgh is too aggressive with their blitzes he may be able to buy some time and find some open guys downfield. But he hasn’t been accurate – he’s missed open guys even when the line has given him time. He needs to improve his accuracy – he’s the real X-factor for the Eagles.
Any surprises you see coming from the Eagles?
I think they’ll be conservative. They came out aggressive early versus the 49ers so they may do that again. They can’t kick field goals though- they need to score touchdowns and can’t lose the turnover battle, obviously. I think they’ll rely on the defense and hope the offense can do just enough to get a win.
How has Hargrave looked – the former Steelers defensive lineman?
He was hurt before camp somehow. He missed all of camp and the first game of the season. He didn’t play well the first game he played – he got rag-dolled a few times. I don’t think he was really fully healthy maybe. He had no stats in his first two games.
But he did get a half-sack last week. Between he, Cox and Jackson, those are three really good interior rushers. Those are three of the top 20 defensive line contracts in the NFL – they have a lot invested in the pass rush and it’s looked good lately.
Looking at the Steelers – what worries your most about them?
It’s a tough matchup for the Eagles. The pass rush is an obvious issue, and coming off a bye week, they Steelers are healthy. They only have two guys on IR – the Eagles have I think 15.
Ben seems like he’s playing well so far – top 10 in passer rating. He has lots of good weapons but doesn’t have that true number one superstar. I wonder if the Eagles will have Slay line up and try and take away one guy – JuJu or Johnson. I think the may be used that way.
The Steelers have no one dominant weapon – but they have lots of different weapons and added Ebron. It’s a lot like the Eagles had when they went to the Super Bowl – they didn’t have one thousand-yard receiver that season. The Steelers offense reminds me of that.
Last thoughts on the game?
I think the Steelers do enough on offense to win but not to make it a blow out. I’m thinking 24-10 Steelers – something like that.
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