Thursday night preseason football and we will see the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. The game has a start time of 7:30 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on NFL Network. Current Vegas odds have the Eagles listed as 3.5 point favorites, while the total is set at 50.
Analysis: The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1-1 in the preseason thus far, with a with vs Buffalo last week and a loss vs the Giants in week 1 of the preseason. In last week's game it was Shaun Suisham that won the game with a 19 yards FG as time expired. Big Ben ended up playing the whole first half for the Steelers and was 8-11 for 128 yards and TDs in his time in there. Brad Gradkowski struggled when he was in there as he hit just 7 of 13 passes for 47 yards and an INT. LaGarrett Bount and Le'Veon Bell combined for just 11 yards on 7 carries in limited time and now reports are out about both being charged with maraijuana possession. First round pick LB Ryan Shazier had an impressive debut, tallying 11 solo tackles, a pass defensed and an interception which he returned 27 yards. The Steelers will be making their fourth preseason appearance at Lincoln Financial Field since the facility opened in 2003. Pittsburgh has defeated the Eagles in six of the last 10 preseason matchups dating back to 1997.
The Philadelphia Eagles have yet to taste victory in the preseason and they lost a couple of shootouts to Chicago and New England. The offense has looked very good for the Eagles so far, as they have put 63 points in the first two games. The defense is another story and looks to be a major concern for Chip Kelly, as his team has allowed 79 points through the first 2 weeks. Nick Foles went 8 of 10 for 81 yards vs the Patriots, but it was Mark Sanchez who really had a solid game, hitting 11 of 12 passes for 117 yards, with 2 TDs and an INT. Matt Barkley was solid as well, hitting 9 of 12 passes for 137 yards with a TD and a pick. An area of concern on this offense may be a running game that has averaged just 82.5 ypg, after leading the league in rushing last year at 156 ypg.
Pick: I know this will not be a popular pick, but I am going with the UNDER in this one. The Eagle defense has struggled mightily in their first two games, but facing explosive Bears and Patriots offense will make most defenses look silly. The Eagles will not be facing those kind of offenses in this one, as the Steelers are just an average offensive team that has scored just 35 points in their first 2 games. Big Ben is in there and he can go deep, but with this being almost a regular season game I do look for the Steelers to try and jump start their running game, which has produced just 52.5 ypg so far. Having a successful running game is key for the Steelers, as that is mostly their game plan anyway. The Eagles know that they can throw the ball all over the field, so I also look for them to work a bit more on their running game as well, especially with LeSean McCoy getting more playing time in this one. Another thing here is that the Eagles went up against soft defenses the last two weeks and the Steelers do not have a soft defense, especially in the secondary. Neither team has run the ball well so far and that is key for both offense so I do see a bit more running here. The Steeler offense is average, while the Eagle offense should have a tougher time vs a much better Pittsburgh defense. Will will still see some points here, but I feel the game will be kept in the low 40s at best.
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