Game Thread: wk 3@ Eagles

[MISKO]

NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Red-hot Steelers claim No. 1 spot

we are #1 in the nfl's power rankings .. hope we live up to the hype

we got the smeagles I hope we dont play down to them

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Well...I don't put much cred into a power ranking after 2 weeks, but it's nice to be recognized in a positive light I guess.


Eagles...CIN is no slouch, but this might be the best pass rushing DL PIT has faced thus far. They still have some formidable pieces on OFC...and I learned from my 5 yrs of working in Philly, the eastern PA team doesn't like the western PA team very much so they will be eager to prove their 2-0 is just as legit as PIT's.

OFC...wk 3 pits strength against strength in the trenches as newly cashed in DeCastro battles Fletcher Cox, one of the best interior pass rushers in the league. Also Gilbert vs Brandon Graham. We all know the best way to offset a big pass rush is to run at them and quick hitting passes…I have to think Haley will dial up another good game plan this week. I like the Steeler WR/TE match up vs the Eagle secondary…I expect the OFC to have another good showing using a lot of targets.

DEF…the rookie QB is playing well in his two starts…while they don’t have the big stud WR1, Matthews is a very capable young wideout and Agholor can do damage as well…Celek is still roaming the middle at TE and Ertz may be ready to go this week. Butler has been playing more 3 and 4 man rush…I can see him staying with that, but mixing in a few more blitzes that he hasn’t shown yet.

Outlook…The Eagles have beaten two pretty limited OFC, but I still have a healthy respect for the DEF, especially the DL…Vegas has PIT as a early 5.5 road favorite. Stiff line, but the Steelers are the better team…if they come in there and play with attitude on both sides of the ball, I expect them to win 27-20.

 

[mall3013]

NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Red-hot Steelers claim No. 1 spot

we are #1 in the nfl's power rankings .. hope we live up to the hype

we got the smeagles I hope we dont play down to them

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Make that 3.5 now...I like that much better.

 

[mall3013]

Well...I don't put much cred into a power ranking after 2 weeks, but it's nice to be recognized in a positive light I guess.


Eagles...CIN is no slouch, but this might be the best pass rushing DL PIT has faced thus far. They still have some formidable pieces on OFC...and I learned from my 5 yrs of working in Philly, the eastern PA team doesn't like the western PA team very much so they will be eager to prove their 2-0 is just as legit as PIT's.

OFC...wk 3 pits strength against strength in the trenches as newly cashed in DeCastro battles Fletcher Cox, one of the best interior pass rushers in the league. Also Gilbert vs Brandon Graham. We all know the best way to offset a big pass rush is to run at them and quick hitting passes…I have to think Haley will dial up another good game plan this week. I like the Steeler WR/TE match up vs the Eagle secondary…I expect the OFC to have another good showing using a lot of targets.

DEF…the rookie QB is playing well in his two starts…while they don’t have the big stud WR1, Matthews is a very capable young wideout and Agholor can do damage as well…Celek is still roaming the middle at TE and Ertz may be ready to go this week. Butler has been playing more 3 and 4 man rush…I can see him staying with that, but mixing in a few more blitzes that he hasn’t shown yet.

Outlook…The Eagles have beaten two pretty limited OFC, but I still have a healthy respect for the DEF, especially the DL…Vegas has PIT as a early 5.5 road favorite. Stiff line, but the Steelers are the better team…if they come in there and play with attitude on both sides of the ball, I expect them to win 27-20.

My exact prediction on the Eagles board. Pitt will win it. We don't have anybody to cover Brown and DeAngelo Williams is going to get his yds in this game as well. Our Dline is going to get into Big Ben's face to make him throw quickly.

 

[Psych-Ward]

My exact prediction on the Eagles board. Pitt will win it. We don't have anybody to cover Brown and DeAngelo Williams is going to get his yds in this game as well. Our Dline is going to get into Big Ben's face to make him throw quickly.

That could be what costs you the most. Ben is one of the leagues best when he is hurried, and AB is a big part of that reason.

I like Wentz, and it will interesting to see how he does against a higher quality D.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

My exact prediction on the Eagles board. Pitt will win it. We don't have anybody to cover Brown and DeAngelo Williams is going to get his yds in this game as well. Our Dline is going to get into Big Ben's face to make him throw quickly.

The beauty of Haley's OFC right now...the OL has been thru some tough battles, they're not going to win every battle against a very talented DL, but they will be prepared...obviously everything flows through, Brown, but it's hard to key on any one player. If they play AB straight up, he's going to make plays. If they bracket him like last week...Ben will target a number of different players.

I hope we're right...lol

Here's to a clean game with no major injuries.

 

[mall3013]

That could be what costs you the most. Ben is one of the leagues best when he is hurried, and AB is a big part of that reason.

I like Wentz, and it will interesting to see how he does against a higher quality D.

I have no doubt in my mind that Big Ben is going to have a great game. What I want to get out of this game is how our rookie does against a solid defensive team like the Stillers. He has passed the test so far, and the check downs and audibles looks like he has done this for years. This game will hopefully give us Eagles fans a better guage on how far we are off from the elite teams? Next draft we need to address the OL, secondary, and a playmaking WR, who doesn't drop perfectly placed balls.

 

[mall3013]

I think Wentz has a little Big Ben swagger to his game. It's early, but he looks the part. And this is the Browns 2.0 of passing up on a franchise QB possibly.

 

[Psych-Ward]

I have no doubt in my mind that Big Ben is going to have a great game. What I want to get out of this game is how our rookie does against a solid defensive team like the Stillers. He has passed the test so far, and the check downs and audibles looks like he has done this for years. This game will hopefully give us Eagles fans a better guage on how far we are off from the elite teams? Next draft we need to address the OL, secondary, and a playmaking WR, who doesn't drop perfectly placed balls.

Yea, for a great quality QB, he has mediocre WR's. Honestly and sad to say, I would put Sproles as one of he top guys!!!!

 

[Psych-Ward]

I think Wentz has a little Big Ben swagger to his game. It's early, but he looks the part. And this is the Browns 2.0 of passing up on a franchise QB possibly.

Thank God he didn't go to Cleveland.....

Cleveland where careers go to die.

 

[mall3013]

Thank God he didn't go to Cleveland.....

Cleveland where careers go to die.

At some point it has to turn the corner, no? I almost feel bad for my in-laws who live in Ohio. They are die hard Brownies fans. They are located in an area where you have a mixture of Browns and Steelers fans. It's hilarious. I can't wait to see them for Thanksgiving when I have my Wentz Eagles jersey on. LOL. At least everyone agrees on the Buckeyes in that area.

 

[NorthCoastSteelersFan]

At some point it has to turn the corner, no? I almost feel bad for my in-laws who live in Ohio. They are die hard Brownies fans. They are located in an area where you have a mixture of Browns and Steelers fans. It's hilarious. I can't wait to see them for Thanksgiving when I have my Wentz Eagles jersey on. LOL. At least everyone agrees on the Buckeyes in that area.

Yes...Go Buckeyes!

And yes, I would,'t mind seeing Cleveland improve...living deep in Browns' country, most of my friends are Browns fans, and I feel bad for them.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

O... Although I agree this is the best D-line they will have faced so far, I still think this O-line is up to the task. Their D-line reminds me a lot of Cincy's. 1 amazing interior guy Cox/Atkins, and 1 great outside guy Graham/Dunlap. The running game will have to earn every yard again. But I think the passing game will help out in that area immensely. Philly's secondary is considerably softer than Cincy's. That should take the wind out of their D-line after a few quarters. This offense can then open up the counter game. I think we'll see this offense open up the game with the passing game early on. Ben will have to pick & choose his matchups because I'm sure they will double AB often. I don't think Coates has done enough to scare defenses away form doing that. They should be getting Wheaton back this week which provides a more reliable option to pair with AB. I still think this offense has too many weapons for Philly to contend with, so long as the O-line keeps Ben upright.

D... Wentz is proving himself. I think he matches up well with this soft coverage unit. He does most of his damage on the short to intermediate passes, and if the DBs are going to play 10-15yds off the line of scrimmage then Wentz shouldn't have a problem finding yards. One thing that works in this defenses favor is that our offense can rack up the score fairly quickly. When they do that it forces their offense to go 1-dimensional. Hence why we have seen opposing QB's passing for 96 attempts over 2 games. So long as the 3rd down & RZ defense continues to show up like they have, they shouldn't have many problems keeping this offense from putting up big numbers. I'd like to see Butler dial up better pass rushes. 4 man rushes haven't been generating much in terms of sack (1 total in 2 games) or pressure production. Only 13.12% of pass plays for this defense involve a pressure or a sack. That's meager production. Stats are dicey considering Butler has only been rushing 3-4 men at a time. He has been dialing up the pass rush when it counts, on 3rd downs. Opponents are 7 for 26 on 3rd downs against them. That's a stat they can hang their hat on. Philly's offense is crafty though. They can do damage if the Steelers don't bring their A game.

Overall... I don't think Philly has the offense to hang with PIT's. They will need a huge game from their D to keep them in this. Wouldn't be surprised to see this game a lot closer than it should be, but I like PIT to win this one 30-17.

 

[mall3013]

Yes...Go Buckeyes!

And yes, I would,'t mind seeing Cleveland improve...living deep in Browns' country, most of my friends are Browns fans, and I feel bad for them.

Are you up around Ashtabula area? My in-laws are about 40 minutes fromPittsburgh, 15 minutes from WV, and in the pottery capital.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[Bridgeburner]

Ouch.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Ouch.

They are due!

 

[ATL96Steeler]

O... Although I agree this is the best D-line they will have faced so far, I still think this O-line is up to the task. Their D-line reminds me a lot of Cincy's. 1 amazing interior guy Cox/Atkins, and 1 great outside guy Graham/Dunlap. The running game will have to earn every yard again. But I think the passing game will help out in that area immensely. Philly's secondary is considerably softer than Cincy's. That should take the wind out of their D-line after a few quarters. This offense can then open up the counter game. I think we'll see this offense open up the game with the passing game early on. Ben will have to pick & choose his matchups because I'm sure they will double AB often. I don't think Coates has done enough to scare defenses away form doing that. They should be getting Wheaton back this week which provides a more reliable option to pair with AB. I still think this offense has too many weapons for Philly to contend with, so long as the O-line keeps Ben upright.

D... Wentz is proving himself. I think he matches up well with this soft coverage unit. He does most of his damage on the short to intermediate passes, and if the DBs are going to play 10-15yds off the line of scrimmage then Wentz shouldn't have a problem finding yards. One thing that works in this defenses favor is that our offense can rack up the score fairly quickly. When they do that it forces their offense to go 1-dimensional. Hence why we have seen opposing QB's passing for 96 attempts over 2 games. So long as the 3rd down & RZ defense continues to show up like they have, they shouldn't have many problems keeping this offense from putting up big numbers. I'd like to see Butler dial up better pass rushes. 4 man rushes haven't been generating much in terms of sack (1 total in 2 games) or pressure production. Only 13.12% of pass plays for this defense involve a pressure or a sack. That's meager production. Stats are dicey considering Butler has only been rushing 3-4 men at a time. He has been dialing up the pass rush when it counts, on 3rd downs. Opponents are 7 for 26 on 3rd downs against them. That's a stat they can hang their hat on. Philly's offense is crafty though. They can do damage if the Steelers don't bring their A game.

Overall... I don't think Philly has the offense to hang with PIT's. They will need a huge game from their D to keep them in this. Wouldn't be surprised to see this game a lot closer than it should be, but I like PIT to win this one 30-17.

Spot on...agree 100% on the pressure...when it really seems to be a critical stop, he is sending an extra guy or two. So far the Steelers have been playing with a lead for most of the time and he hasn't seen the need to bring the extra guy, but I still would like to see them get more out of the 4.

All in all we both see the Steelers covering the spread.