The battle for the Keystone State takes place this weekend with the Steelers traveling to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles. Both teams have been red-hot with the Steelers winning seven of their last eight games and the Eagles winning their last nine in a row. Still, the media continues to fade the Steelers’ chances in the game.
Part of this is due to the lingering George Pickens hamstring injury, which will likely it will keep the dynamic WR out of this week’s game. For that reason, the majority of the Clean Pocket podcast predict the Steelers to lose Sunday in Philadelphia, with Jay Gruden going so far to say they have “no chance.”
“I don’t think they have much of a chance with George Pickens,” Gruden said while previewing the Steelers-Eagles game. “Without George Pickens I think they have no chance.”
Fresh off scoring 27 points on with a Pickens-less offense, it may seem like a bit of an overreaction for Gruden to say they have no chance at all. However, many media pundits, including two of Gruden’s co-hosts, Justin Pugh and A.Q. Shipley, share his belief. It is understandable that there is concern about this Steelers in this, considering how important Pickens is to Pittsburgh. For reference, despite missing a game, Pickens leads the team in receiving yards and has 400 more than next closest Steeler. He has the most catches too, roughly 30 more than anyone else on the team.
One co-host who swayed from conventional wisdom was Colt McCoy.
“I think the Steelers are going to come in and play really good defense,” the former NFL quarterback said. ‘They’re gonna run the ball, control the clock, and find a way to win this game.”
Despite his belief that Pittsburgh will not end its long losing streak in Philadelphia, Gruden did acknowledge that it does have real Super Bowl aspirations, saying that he “loves the way the Steelers are built,” especially for cold, playoff football. He does have questions about the team’s ability to come from behind, but overall, it is an interesting note that Gruden believes the Steelers have championship DNA.
Sunday will certainly be one of the biggest tests this season of Pittsburgh’s championship capabilities, to see if the Steelers are contenders or have “no chance.”
