A lot of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ weaknesses were on full display Sunday in their 27-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Their run game was non-existent, their pass game was a non-factor without the deep ball, and their defense had issues getting off the field. The Eagles were the more physical team, which doesn’t often happen to the Steelers. That may cause public opinion to turn toward the Baltimore Ravens for this week’s game. However, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady believes the Steelers will be just fine.
“If they go to Baltimore, which they are, they’re gonna have to play a clean game,” Brady said via NFL on FOX on YouTube. “Limit penalties, limit turnovers. The thing they did last time they played Baltimore, they possessed the football, 36-minute time of possession. It’s gotta be a similar formula. I think they’re gonna learn from what happened [Sunday] and be much better next week.”
Brady is preaching patience, and that’s probably the correct move. The Steelers did look outmatched against the Eagles, but they had a similarly disappointing game against the Cleveland Browns almost a month ago. The following week, they eliminated many of the issues that plagued them in that game, beating the Cincinnati Bengals in a shootout.
This week’s game might give them a little more difficulty. For starters, it’s in Baltimore. The Steelers have won their last four games in Baltimore, but the Ravens are rolling right now. They just annihilated the New York Giants with Lamar Jackson throwing more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (four).
Also, the Steelers look like the walking wounded at the moment. George Pickens has been dealing with a hamstring injury, and he could miss this week’s game. T.J. Watt could play this week after rolling his ankle against the Eagles, but nothing is certain. DeShon Elliott, Donte Jackson, and Larry Ogunjobi are also nursing injuries of their own. Currently, health is not on the Steelers’ side.
Brady played against the Steelers a number of times throughout his illustrious career, so maybe he’s got a better feel for how they’ll respond to the Eagles loss. Brady will be on the call again for that game, so he’ll have a front-row seat to see if they can prove him right.
The bottom line is that the Steelers have been one of the best teams in the NFL this year. They’ve had some unfortunate losses, but no team has been perfect. Even if they lose to Baltimore, they’ll still have a chance to win the AFC North. Their season is far from over.
