Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers @ Eagles: What to watch for

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Steelers travel to Philadelphia this weekend and it’s tough to tell if there is more than just one story line.

It’s the battle for Pennsylvania this Sunday in Philly and the media is focused on pretty much one thing leading up to the instate tilt: Carson Wentz.

Well, it is an interesting story, so we’ll start there.

Carson Wentz

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Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz has been impressive in his first two weeks. He hasn’t been unbelievable, and he hasn’t been average–he’s been impressive.

Much of the talk about Wentz through the first two games of the season has been that he protects the ball. Wentz has committed zero turnovers. The Steelers’ defense will want to change that.

Historically, rookie quarterbacks don’t have success against the Steelers. While, Wentz has benefited from spreading the ball around and creative play calling, his two victories come against the underwhelming Bears and Browns.

Chicago and Cleveland are a combined 0-4 with a negative 48 point differential. The Steelers have notched wins against two 2015 division champions.

It will be interesting to see what schemes the Steelers throw at Wentz, and to see how the rookie responds.

Top Defenses

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The Steelers have let up a lot of yards in 2016. In fact, their defense falls in the bottom third of the league when it comes to yards allowed. They also have only one sack in their opponents’ 97 pass attempts.

Where the Steelers’ defense has had success is against the run and on the scoreboard. They are a top-ten defense against the run and in points allowed. The Steelers exemplify the motto “bend, but don’t break.” It works.

Forcing teams to kick field goals when they get in the red zone has helped the Steelers win games. Stopping a rookie quarterback’s top runner can win games too. The Steelers will try to do that with Ryan Mathews.

On the other side, the Eagles’ defense is second in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed. They’ve also notched six sacks, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles (two recovered). This will be a good test for the Steelers’ offense and the Eagles’ defense.

Ben Roethlisberger has already thrown three interceptions and fumbled twice in 2016. He’ll have to take care of the ball if the Eagles continue to be perfect when it comes to giveaways.

Steeler Receivers

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It’s been a tale of two weeks for the Steelers’ receivers. In week one, Antonio Brown and Eli Rogers dominated the conversation. In week two, Rogers and Brown all but disappeared while Sammie Coates and tight ends Jesse James and Xavier Grimble exploded.

With the return of Markus Wheaton expected this week, the division of labor among the receivers will be interesting to watch. All of these players have shown they can make big plays, but there are only so many balls to go around.

As always, Roethlisberger will target Brown often–it’s a recipe for success. How the other weapons fall in line is the real question. And it has been a question since news of Martavis Bryant’s suspension. We’ll see who is going to step up.