Entering Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be without three key pieces: wide receiver George Pickens, safety DeShon Elliott, and defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi. This puts them at a pretty significant disadvantage, at least on paper.
The biggest loss is Pickens, though, as the Steelers’ offense relies heavily on him in the passing game with quarterback Russell Wilson. While the Steelers produced 27 points against the Cleveland Browns in Week 14 last Sunday without Pickens, Sunday’s test against the Eagles will be all the more difficult, especially with the Eagles’ secondary locking guys down, particularly rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
While the Steelers believe in Mike Williams, Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, and Calvin Austin III at the receiver position, expecting those guys to come up big against the Eagles’ secondary is a tall task.
For former NFL quarterback Alex Smith, the Steelers will need to pull off some magic offensively on Sunday to have a chance against the Eagles.
“This Steelers offense, no George Pickens, you’re going against maybe the best defense in the NFL. You’re gonna have to pull off some magic today, right? You’re not gonna be able to run the ball against this defensive front. You’re gonna have to mix it up again,” Smith said of the Steelers’ offense, according to Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN. “No big play with George Pickens. Some of these other receivers, Van Jefferson, Mike Williams are gonna have to step up. You’re gonna have to make a play or two.”
Not having Pickens for a second week in a row, and potentially another game or two, is a massive blow to the Steelers’ offense. He and Wilson have developed quite a rapport. He’s a true No. 1 receiver who can take the top off of defenses and change the game in the blink of an eye.
Without him, that onus falls on the likes of Williams, Jefferson, and Miller. To their credit, they made some big plays in the win over the Browns, but the Eagles’ defense — particularly the secondary — is much better than the Browns. The Steelers will need more than some 20+ yard catches from Williams and Miller or a 10-yard touchdown from Jefferson.
It will also be a massive test for Wilson, who hasn’t played as good a defense as the Eagles since taking over as the Steelers’ starting quarterback in Week 7 against the New York Jets.
It won’t just be on the Steelers’ offense and the supporting cast. For Smith, the Steelers will need to get a classic Mike Tomlin game in which the defense makes plays, special teams come through with some splash, and they muck it up.
“And then you have to make a play on special teams, right? This is one of these games,” Smith said of the Steelers’ matchup with the Eagles and the path to a win. “I think to go there and steal this game in Philly, you haven’t done it since, what did he say, 1965? This is gonna be one of those patented Mike Tomlin Steelers ugly wins. Get one of the T.J. Watt punchouts.
“You’re gonna have to make a player or two, I think, to go into Philly and win this ball game.”
The Steelers are going to need guys to step up and make plays. That’s not a shock. They needed it against the Browns with the likes of Miller and Jefferson making plays, and Jaylen Warren making an impact on the ground, not to mention names like Keeanu Benton and James Pierre creating splash defensively.
That’s the formula for the Steelers on Sunday. They’ve been rather good at doing just that over the years under Tomlin, and Sunday really shouldn’t be any different.
