A weekly article we post that gives a brief overview of how national media members view the Pittsburgh Steelers’ odds. Just a skinny summary of notable names who are picking for or against Pittsburgh. We’ll see who gets it right most often. If they offer a score prediction, we’ll include that too. When applicable, I’ll toss in the predictions from Dave Bryan and myself just to see how we stack up.
Today, predictions for the Steelers’ Week 15 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Those Picking The Steelers
Nate Davis/USA Today: Steelers (23-20)
Bucky Brooks/NFL Network: Steelers (23-20)
Pat McAfee/Pat McAfee Show: Steelers (to at least cover)
Those Picking The Eagles
A.J. Hawk/Pat McAfee Show: Eagles
Eric Edholm/NFL Network: Eagles (24-19)
Mike Florio/Pro Football Talk: Eagles (23-20)
Maurice Jones-Drew/NFL Network: Eagles (28-24)
Dave Bryan/Steelers Depot: Eagles (24-20)
Sam Farmer/LA Times: Eagles (28-24)
Chris Simms/Pro Football Talk: Eagles (27-14)
Daniel Jeremiah/NFL Network: Eagles (30-28)
Pete Prisco/CBS Sports: Eagles (24-17)
Alex Kozora/Steelers Depot: Eagles (27-16)
Colleen Wolfe/NFL Network: Eagles (24-17)
Vinnie Iyer/Sporting News: Eagles (27-23)
Totals
Those Picking The Steelers: 3
Those Picking The Eagles: 12
Quick Notes
– As you know, the Steelers haven’t won in Philadelphia since 1965. That day, Pittsburgh won 20-12 despite being outgained 388-132. The Eagles’ five turnovers played a key role in their loss with the Steelers returning two of them, a fumble and a pick, for touchdowns.
– Fast forward to 2024. This game features the two most run-heavy teams in football. Philadelphia is No. 1 with 473, Pittsburgh No. 2 with 438.
– There have been 24 meetings between the Steelers and Eagles in Week 10 or later when both teams, in theory, could have had double-digit wins. This will be the first time Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will meet with 10-plus wins. The Steelers are 10-3, the Eagles 11-2.
– This will also be the second-latest meeting between these two teams. The only one that came later occurred on Dec. 20, 1970, when the Eagles beat the Steelers 30-20. That day, Norm Snead out-dueled Terry Hanratty and spoiled Frenchy Fuqua’s 218-yard rushing performance.
Fuqua’s yards are the sixth-most in a loss in NFL history. The record is the 273 O.J. Simpson had in a 1976 loss to the Detroit Lions.
– Pittsburgh comes into this game with the league’s No. 2 third-down defense, opponents converting only 32.5 percent of the time. Philadelphia is the No. 8 third down offense, converting 43.4-percent of the time.
