Will The Eagles Be Keystone Kings Or Keystone Light?

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers face off in a battle for Keystone State supremacy. Sunday afternoon’s game will be the only Week 3 contest between two undefeated teams.

As Carson Wentz looks to lead the Philadelphia Eagles’ to their second 3-0 start in the last three years, he will once again be blessed with the services of Lane Johnson. That’s important with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town. Beating a team that has made the playoffs two years in a row is something entirely different than beating the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears.

Gone are the days of players like James Harrison and Troy Polamalu in the black and gold. Ryan Shazier and company aren’t performing terribly though for the Steelers defense. The Steelers are getting off the field on defense without giving up points. They’ve given up eight more points than the Eagles, against much better competition (Well, not the Redskins).

Speaking of defenses, the Eagles defense has bent like Gumby between the 20 yard line, but it’s been a steel trap at the goal line. The Eagles have not allowed a passing touchdown. Only 13% of opposing drives this season have resulted in points for Eagles opponents. The Eagles defense will have it’s hands full with Antonio Brown if they can’t get pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. Roethisberger has made short, but sweet work in the red zone this season. Roethlisberger has completed four passes inside the 10 yard line, three for touchdowns. If you’re still wondering who Gumby is, get off my lawn.

Brown is one of the best route-running wide receivers in football. Giving him time to carve up a defense is not an option. Unfortunately for Jim Schwartz, the Steelers offensive line is playing solid football. Football Outsiders ranks the Steelers offensive line highly through two games. Fletcher Cox has been relatively silent early in the season. Could this be the game where he takes over? If he or the rest of the defensive line gets to Roethlisberger, they better bring him down.

As it pertains to Brown, I simply say: Let him catch his eight catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles secondary got a good look at Eli Rogers and Sammie Coates in preseason. Shutting the complimentary players down will give the Eagles the chance to get the win. Third down defense could dictate whether the Eagles can do that. Brown currently leads the NFL with six third-down catches that result in a first down. Shadowing Roethlisberger’s favorite target on third-down will force him to go to the less reliable younger receivers. Schwartz will likely play the percentages. If Rogers, Coates, or tight end Jesse James end up making plays, so be it. Allowing Brown to beat you is a mistake the new regime needs to avoid.

Sunday will mark the final game of Le’Veon Bell‘s suspension. Once again, DeAngelo Williams has performed admirably in his absence. Historically, Williams hasn’t fared well on the ground against the Eagles. Aside from a great game his rookie season, Williams has been quiet against the Eagles. The Eagles this season are allowing 4.7 yards per carry on the ground. Even at 33 years old with 11 seasons of NFL experience, Williams still has under 2,000 total touches.

The Steelers are a great litmus test heading into the bye week. A win legitimizes the first quarter of the season for Philadelphia. A loss would not take away from what has already been accomplished in the first two games. A loss, as devastating as it might appear, has no bearing on the tie-breakers for a wild card spot in the playoffs. The parallels between Wentz and Roethlisberger have been brought up ad nauseam and now it’s time for Wentz to do what Big Ben has done throughout his career: Win a big game. There’s something special about this Eagles team thus far this season. I think they can, and most importantly, will head into the bye week undefeated.