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Big Win

Posted: December 15th, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

Nick Sirianni told the media that his team was focused on the Steelers and not the drama that us on the outside fixated on during the past week. It was easy to wonder if that was coachspeak. Sirianni’s players answered emphatically on Sunday, dominating the Steelers. The score was 27-13. The yardage was 402-163. The time of possession was 39:52 to 20:08.

The Eagles sent a message from the start of the game. They came out throwing. This wasn’t just a message about last week. The Steelers have the #2 run defense in the league so attacking them with the passing game was smart football. Jalen Hurts was sharp, starting 12 for 13. He spread the ball around and his guys made plays. AJ Brown looked like a Top 5 receiver. DeVonta Smith looked like a difference-maker. Even Kenny Gainwell had some key catch and runs.

Hurts finished the game 25-32-290 with a pair of TDs. He did have one fumble, but that was on a great play by TJ Watt. Hurts generally protected the ball well. The biggest thing for me was seeing him be confident and aggressive. That was as good as the passing game has looked in a while.

Give Kellen Moore some credit. He called plays that involved quick reads. That allowed Hurts to play fast and get into a good rhythm. He wasn’t making a bunch of reads and holding onto the ball. There was a lull in the second quarter when the offense ran into some issues and the Steelers pass rush came alive. The Eagles re-grouped in the second half and turned a 17-13 game into a 27-13 win.

The Eagles showed just how good their passing game can be. AJ Brown was 8-110-1. DeVonta Smith was 11-109-1. Both guys made catches in key situations and kept the chains moving. The Steelers just didn’t have an answer for them.

As good as the Eagles offense was, the defense was better. Pittsburgh came into the game with the #9 rushing offense in the league. The Eagles held them to 17 carries for 56 yards. That put all the pressure on Russell Wilson. He responded by going 14-22-128. Pittsburgh was missing WR George Pickens and it showed. The Eagles took away big plays and forced them to put together long drives. The Steelers only had two drives with more than 5 plays. They had two FG drives that came off short fields.

Nakobe Dean led the way with 10 tackles and a FF. I thought he tackled really well. Wilson had to throw some underneath passes and Dean cleaned those up quickly. Zack Baun had 5 tackles and also helped control the middle. Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith each had a sack. Beyond that, they were disruptive and affected Wilson on a regular basis.

This was the Eagles first win against Wilson. He has tormented the Eagles since coming into the league back in 2012. He’s taken years off my life with all his insane scrambles and last second desperation throws that turned into big plays. I’m happy to report that version of Wilson didn’t show up on Sunday. Or the Eagles defense was just so good that it didn’t matter.

The Steelers are a playoff team. They play good defense, run the ball well and usually win the turnover battle. But you could see on Sunday that they are a notch below the Eagles. They just don’t have the same level of weapons. The Eagles have now won 10 games in a row and are tied with the Lions for the best record in the NFC at 12-2.

This wasn’t an easy game. The Eagles did have two turnovers. They had a costly penalty that was a big boost to Pittsburgh’s only TD drive. There were more than a few injuries. Landon Dickerson was replaced by Tyler Steen for most of the game. AJ Brown hurt his ankle late in the game. Saquon Barkley took a hard shot to the lower leg and missed some time. Sydney Brown got hurt on the opening kickoff. There were other guys who were out for just a few plays.

It feels weird to write a game summary and put Barkley at the end. He finished 19-65 on the ground. Pittsburgh sold out on some late runs and took him down for losses so the numbers aren’t as good as they could have been. Barkley was close to breaking a couple of runs. The Steelers are good tacklers and he just couldn’t get by the final guy.

Barkley and Hurts did help the Eagles to close the game out. They had a 21-play drive that covered 88 yards and ate up the final 10:29 of the game. It’s fitting a drive like that came on the weekend of the Army-Navy game. That’s the kind of ball-control drive you expect from a service academy.

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The Eagles offense and defense were so good that Pittsburgh only had two possessions in the second half. That is insane.

The Eagles ended a strange week with a big win. This is a damn good team.

http://igglesblitz.com/2024/12/big-win-2/

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