Steelers @ Eagles
Final Score: PHI 27 – PIT 13
Writer: Chris Helle (@ChrisHelleQBL on Twitter)
This was a pivotal game between two teams that are at the top of their divisions and fighting for a potential first-round bye in playoffs. The first quarter was a slow start for the Steelers as Philly’s defense forced three 3-and-outs, and the Eagles marched down the field to take a 3-0 lead. A fumble from Jalen Hurts wasn’t enough to spark any momentum for Pittsburgh, but a fumbled punt return gave them the field position to tie the game at three a piece. Hurts responded to the early mistake and bad press throughout the week to lead two TD drives in back-to-back possessions, throwing touchdowns to both A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. A few penalties helped the Steelers down the field, and Russ connected several passes before finding Pat Freiermuth in the endzone. A poor punt from the Eagles gave Pittsburgh good field position again, which they converted to 3 more points to go to the half down only 13-17. The second half was dominated by Philly’s time of possession. The Steelers are the second team since 2009 to have only two possessions in a half, and a fumble by Najee Harris deflated the hopes of a comeback. Hurts led two 13-play drives for a field goal and brotherly shove touchdown, and then a 21-play drive that sealed the game.
Two Up
- Jalen Hurts – All the false press about the potential wedge between him and A.J. was put to bed, and any doubts that he and the Eagles can’t throw the ball should be entirely snuffed out after this one.
- Kenneth Gainwell – It was unclear whether Saquon Barkley was shaken up in the first half, but Gainwell saw the field just as much as the league’s leading rusher and looked incredible. He was elusive in open space and was on the field in several goal-line situations.
One Down
- Pittsburgh’s RBs – The workload between Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren was split close to 50/50, but the preseason concerns over their offensive line came to light. Facing defenses with a strong front 7 like Philly’s is already a tough enough challenge, but combining that with their split workload will make it hard for either to be a high-valued fantasy asset.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback
Russell Wilson: 14/22, 128 Yards, 1 TD | 4 Attempts, 13 Yards
Justin Fields: 1 Attempt, 8 Yards
Russ was without his most reliable target, George Pickens, but he did as well as he could with the weapons around him. The Steelers didn’t have the ball in their hands very much, and Russ completed most of his targets on shorter routes, but the longer throws down the field all went incomplete except for one 31-yarder to Calvin Austin. He did do a good job of scrambling in the face of pressure and converted a few broken pass plays for first downs. He was going through his progressions and taking his check-downs like the systematic player he is, and he connected with Freiermuth for a TD on a very well-thrown ball to beat the tight coverage. He’ll have to hope he gets Pickens back shortly to stretch the field vertically, though.
Running Back
Najee Harris: 6 Attempts, 14 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
Jaylen Warren: 4 Attempts, 12 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Cordarrelle Patterson: 2 Attempts, 9 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, -1 Yard
For a team that runs the ball at the second-highest rate in the league, behind only Philly, this was the worst-case scenario. The Eagles got off to an early lead, and almost every play on the ground was stuffed for short gains. Neither back had a rush go for longer than 7 yards as Philly’s stout defense made mincework of the Steelers’ offensive line. It also didn’t help that the Steelers had only two possessions in the entire second half, one of which Najee Harris fumbled on Philly’s 26-yard line. Najee started the game and saw slightly more snaps through the first quarter than Jaylen Warren, but Warren saw more snaps later in the game.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
George Pickens: DNP
Calvin Austin: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 65 Yards
Pat Freiermuth: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 22 Yards, 1 TD
Ben Skowronek: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 17 Yards
Mike Williams: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 15 Yards
Van Jefferson: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 0 Yards
Scotty Miller: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
There’s really not too much to the story here to add to these stat lines. Without Pickens, Pat Freiermuth and Calvin Austin carried most of the (light) workload as expected. Freiermuth was getting fed more in plus territory, and his only dropped pass would have been a mere 6-yard gain. Austin brought in all of his targets, especially a 31-yarder on a play-action boot that he beat the LB down the backside seam – a potentially better throw from Russ could have resulted in an even bigger play. Russ spread the ball around the remainder of WRs as the opportunities arose, but those opportunities were few and hard to come by.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 25/32 290 Yards, 2 TDs | 15 Attempts, 45 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Fumble
It felt like with all the bad press around Philly’s “inability” to throw the ball, Kellen Moore made a point to make sure Hurts could show how strong Philly’s pass game can be when it’s needed. Hurts started the day by completing all of his first 10 pass attempts and finished the day with more yards through the air than the previous two games combined. The turnover struggles from early in the season popped up again as he fumbled the ball when trying to scramble for a first down, but throwing no interceptions still shows he’s making the right decisions. This was his third straight game with a rushing TD, on a brotherly shove, of course. He nearly had another rushing score on a QB draw that went for no gain on the 2-yard line but threw a TD the following play.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley: 19 Attempts, 65 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards
Kenneth Gainwell: 7 Attempts, 20 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 40 Yards
There were concerns that Saquon may have been battling a minor injury after the first quarter because he wasn’t on the field for almost the entire second quarter. He did return in the second half and looked as quick and agile as ever, so the takeaway may be that the Eagles are managing his workload down the stretch to keep him healthy for the postseason. He had a carry from the 5-yard line that was stuffed for no gain before Hurts threw the TD to Brown on the next play. In Saquon’s stead, Kenneth Gainwell looked great – a spin move left a defender in the dust to turn a potential TFL into a first down, and he took another reception out of the backfield 16 yards down to the 2-yard line. He was nearly handed the ball on the following play, but a high snap forced Hurts to keep it himself for no gain. If the conjecture about workload management is true, Gainwell could be a sneaky pickup, given how well he and the Eagles’ offensive line looked against a strong Pittsburgh defense.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Dallas Goedert: DNP
A.J. Brown: 11 Targets, 8 Receptions, 110 Yards, 1 TD
Devonta Smith: 12 Targets, 11 Receptions, 109 Yards, 1 TD | 1 Attempt, 1 Yard
Grant Calcaterra: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 22 Yards
Jahan Dotson: 1 Target, 0 Reception
Johnny Wilson: 1 Target, 0 Reception
The Eagles made it a point to make their passing game known to be the threat it is, and their two top WRs carried all that workload. Both A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith caught their TDs in short goal-line situations, but they each had catches for over 20 yards coming off good runs after the catch. Hurts did throw a deep fade to A.J. that could have been a 25-yard TD but was broken up by good defense from Joey Porter. The Eagles run a lot of read options and RPOs that open the slant routes for A.J. or run mesh schemes to hit Devonta on shallow crossers. Some of those crossing routes were also being run by Dallas Goedert, but Grant Calcaterra doesn’t seem to be an immediate replacement in that role. Calcaterra’s catch came on a brief out-and-up along the hash lines. With Goedert on IR for the remainder of the season, it appears as though the WRs will have a more reliable target share rather than those vacated targets going to Calcaterra.