If the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to tug off an upset in Philadelphia, they’ll have to rattle the Eagles and quiet the house crowd. Showing on NFL Gameday Morning Sunday, former NFL defensive sort out Gerald McCoy provided recommendation on how Pittsburgh can come out on prime.
“If I’m Pittsburgh, what I’m attempting to do is frustrate Jalen Hurts,” McCoy instructed co-host Wealthy Eisen. “As a result of what we’ve seen is what’s occurring proper now. You frustrate Jalen Hurts, you frustrate A.J. Brown. So I simply settle for Saquon’s going to get his, and I try to ensure that we care for Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown.”
Brown expressed some measure of frustration following final Sunday’s slim win over the Carolina Panthers, a recreation through which he acquired a season-low 4 targets. Requested by reporters post-game easy methods to get again on observe, Brown stated “passing” was the problem. How a lot of a shot that was at Hurts is debatable, and the storyline is probably overblown, however the Eagles’ weak point actually isn’t Barkley and the run recreation.
Fully stopping Barkley as they did in 2020 isn’t an inexpensive end result. However slowing him down and placing the strain on Hurts to make performs is the Steelers’ greatest technique. That doesn’t assure success or a victory, however permitting Barkley to roam free all day is certain to supply a loss.
Given the Steelers’ consideration to slowing Barkley down, Pittsburgh’s secondary shall be counted on to step up. They probably gained’t obtain a lot assistance on early downs. Contesting on the catch level, tackling in house, and creating splash shall be essential. Philadelphia does a unbelievable job taking good care of the soccer, with solely three giveaways of their final 9 video games and none over their previous 4.
Getting an early leap on the Eagles can also be key. Pittsburgh has had its slow-start struggles however has 45 first-quarter factors in comparison with Philadelphia’s paltry 17. The Steelers discovering the top zone on a gap possession for the primary time since Week 16 of final 12 months could be large, taking the gang out of it and knocking Philadelphia off steadiness.
In fact, any recommendation McCoy or another pundit affords is less complicated stated than executed. Each workforce has had the identical plan towards the Eagles: sort out Barkley, don’t let Brown make huge performs within the passing recreation, and pressure that key takeaway. The final 9 groups have failed. Pittsburgh doesn’t need to make it ten.
