If the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to pull off an upset in Philadelphia, they’ll need to rattle the Eagles and quiet the home crowd. Appearing on NFL Gameday Morning Sunday, former NFL defensive tackle Gerald McCoy offered advice on how Pittsburgh can come out on top.
“If I’m Pittsburgh, what I’m trying to do is frustrate Jalen Hurts,” McCoy told co-host Rich Eisen. “Because what we’ve seen is what’s going on right now. You frustrate Jalen Hurts, you frustrate A.J. Brown. So I just accept Saquon’s going to get his, and I try and make sure that we take care of Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown.”
Brown expressed some measure of frustration following last Sunday’s narrow win over the Carolina Panthers, a game in which he received a season-low four targets. Asked by reporters post-game how to get back on track, Brown said “passing” was the issue. How much of a shot that was at Hurts is debatable, and the storyline is perhaps overblown, but the Eagles’ weakness certainly isn’t Barkley and the run game.
Completely stopping Barkley as they did in 2020 isn’t a reasonable outcome. But slowing him down and putting the pressure on Hurts to make plays is the Steelers’ best strategy. That doesn’t guarantee success or a victory, but allowing Barkley to roam free all day is sure to produce a loss.
Given the Steelers’ attention to slowing Barkley down, Pittsburgh’s secondary will be counted on to step up. They likely won’t receive much help on early downs. Contesting at the catch point, tackling in space, and creating splash will be important. Philadelphia does a fantastic job taking care of the football, with only three giveaways in their last nine games and none over their past four.
Getting an early jump on the Eagles is also key. Pittsburgh has had its slow-start struggles but has 45 first-quarter points compared to Philadelphia’s paltry 17. The Steelers finding the end zone on an opening possession for the first time since Week 16 of last year would be huge, taking the crowd out of it and knocking Philadelphia off balance.
Of course, any advice McCoy or any other pundit offers is easier said than done. Every team has had the same plan against the Eagles: tackle Barkley, don’t let Brown make big plays in the passing game, and force that key takeaway. The last nine teams have failed. Pittsburgh doesn’t want to make it ten.
