The Pittsburgh Steelers have beaten some good teams this year. They’ve defeated the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington Commanders, all of whom would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. They’ve got another tough test this week against the 11-2 Philadelphia Eagles. The Steelers have proven they can beat talented teams this year, so there are reasons to expect them to knock off the Eagles on Sunday.
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco does not hold that opinion. He discussed his thoughts on CBS Sports HQ on Tuesday, where he predicted Pittsburgh would lose to the Eagles.
“I’m taking the Eagles,” Prisco said bluntly. “I think the Eagles will physically maul them [Steelers] in the run game. I think they’re gonna have success… 59 years, I’m sticking with the history. I’m taking the Eagles.”
The 59 years Prisco is referring to is the amount of time since Pittsburgh last won in Philadelphia, which was back in 1965.
Prisco’s certainly not doing anything outlandish by picking the Eagles this week, but that’s not exactly a death sentence for the Steelers, either. Pittsburgh’s offense has been playing very well lately, although it’s been against two less-than-impressive defenses: the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. Still, the Eagles have had some of their own struggles as well. They’re 11-2 for a reason, but they aren’t necessarily unbeatable.
Prisco specifically mentions the Eagles’ run game and claims they’ll dominate the Steelers. This also isn’t an unpopular opinion. Their biggest offseason addition, Saquon Barkley, has been incredible in his debut season with the Eagles. Barkley already has 1,623 rushing yards in the year and has found the end zone a total of 13 times. He’s been on fire recently, topping 100 rushing yards in four straight games and seven of his last eight.
While nobody has been able to stop Barkley this year, the Steelers aren’t a pushover either. Their defense has held strong throughout the year and has been more than stable against the run. The Steelers have given up 1,190 rushing yards on the season, the fourth fewest in the league.
Now, the Steelers are underdogs. The Eagles are in the midst of a nine-game winning streak and have run the ball with ease throughout the year. However, the Steelers have been able to contain opposing rushing attacks this season. The Eagles could very well prove Prisco right, but the Steelers might be a tougher opponent than he expects.
