The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Philadelphia looking for their first win there against the Eagles since Lyndon B. Johnson was in office, and to do so, the Steelers will need to stop RB Saquon Barkley. If they don’t contain Barkley and Philadelphia’s run game, the Steelers will have “no chance,” Teryl Austin said today during his weekly press conference.
“But the bottom line is if you don’t slow that running game down, you have no chance. That’s really the biggest takeaway, that’s the biggest thing you’ll learn from them. If they’re able to run the ball, whether it’s Saquon [Barkley] or the quarterback escaping, quarterback design runs, it’s going to be a long day,” Austin said via transcript provided by the team.
Barkley is having the best season of his career with 1,623 yards and 11 touchdowns through 13 games. He’s run for over 100 yards over his last four games, including a 233-yard outburst in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams. It’s not going to be easy to slow him down or stop him, but if the Steelers allow him to get going, the Philadelphia offense is going to be really hard to stop.
They’re not a one-dimensional offense with a passing attack that features WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith along with Jalen Hurts at quarterback. Hurts is also a threat with his legs, and he’ll become even more of one if Barkley starts off strong.
Pittsburgh’s run defense has been stout for most of the season and has allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game in the league. That bodes well for their chances against Barkley, and the Steelers usually have a good game plan to take away the opposing team’s star players. But the way Barkley’s playing this season, slowing him down is going to be harder than most guys and will take a full team effort.
It’s the key to the game for the Steelers, who are going to need of their best efforts of the season defensively if they want to get a win. The Eagles are red-hot with nine straight wins, and they’re going to look to ride that momentum into a big game at home against a fellow contender. Pittsburgh will need to match Philadelphia offensively, which won’t be easy without WR George Pickens, but things will be a lot easier if the Steelers can slow Barkley down and limit what the Eagles do on the ground.
Making them as one-dimensional as possible is going to be important, and there’s no doubt that the Steelers have worked and will continue to work extensively in practice this week to ensure that they’re doing everything possible to stop Barkley.
