October 25, 2022
Back from the bye, the undefeated Eagles will get a struggling Pittsburgh Steelers team with a rookie quarterback under center.
Surprise: The Eagles are heavily favored in this one.
After jumping out to a 6-0 start, the Eagles are one of, if not THE best, teams in the NFL and, on paper, don't seem to have an opponent they can't beat for the remainder of the schedule.
But the bye can be a blessing and a curse. Did the Eagles heal up and tune up? Or will their be some rust to shake off Sunday?
Here's what our writers think...
TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
RADIO: 94.1 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick)
| Book | Spread | Money Line | Total (O/U) |
| DraftKings | PHI -10.5 | PIT +390 PHI -490 | 43.5 |
| FanDuel | PHI -10.5 | PIT +410 PHI -550 | 43.5 |
| BetMGM | PHI -11 | PIT +400 PHI -550 | 43.5 |
| UniBet | PHI -10.5 | PIT +375 PHI -500 | 43.5 |
| PointsBet | PHI -10.5 | PIT +375 PHI -500 | 43.5 |
The Steelers are 2-5, and they were actually outgained by 201 yards in their two wins. They have a rookie quarterback, underperforming skill position players, a bad offensive line, shaky cornerbacks, and their best player (T.J. Watt) is hurt. When football fans see the Steelers logo, they often associate that with a tough, physical football team that is tough to beat, and for good reason. This team hasn't had a losing season since 2003. That streak is coming to an end in 2022, because this is a very bad team. The Eagles should easily handle them at home.
I don't have a ton of analysis here. I am burnt out on Phillies coverage. The Eagles will be well-rested and facing one of the worst teams in the NFL. I think they will create some turnovers and play a typical front-running game where they get up big early, take their feet off the gas late and breeze to a touchdown-plus victory and 7-0 record.
This game has 2017 Eagles energy to me where a wire-to-wire great team is just trouncing below-average and mediocre squads. The 2-5 Steelers are in a rough spot in a road matchup against the NFL's last unbeaten team. Mike Tomlin is perpetually an underrated coach, but even he can't get his Steelers out of this early hole.
I don't expect this one to be close and it may be over by halftime. The Eagles' formula of building big leads and burning the clock with a high-level run game repeats itself once again.
There's no such thing as an easy win in the NFL, but I'd have to imagine this one will look more effortless than most. Especially with T.J. Watt still out, I can't imagine the Steelers will be able to get to Jalen Hurts all that much, and if they can't get to Jalen Hurts, they won't stop the Eagles' offense.
Also, Kenny Pickett is coming off a three-interception performance against the Dolphins and Mike Tomlin looks like he's just gonna throw his rookie QB right back into the fire. Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson should jump all over that situation.
The Eagles come in rested and motivated after their bye week. The best things that could have happened to the Eagles didn’t actually happen to the team – the Giants and Cowboys keep winning and the Steelers have found some new (or just any) life. Both should keep the Birds from coming out flat or complacent, and keep pressure on the Steelers' offense.
Be it a new addition or an old vet, the Birds' pass rush is as menacing as it gets in the NFL. That’s going to be the difference. That’s the one area of any football team that’s impenetrable to travel or time off – rushing the QB. Even if the Eagles' offense doesn’t have one of its customary second-quarter explosions, expect the defense to break this thing open. It’s just a matter of time.
Teams that are at least 4-0 with one week of rest are 20-12 against the spread.
The Steelers are 2-5 and starting a rookie quarterback against the only unbeaten team in the NFL. More so, despite the Steelers' gaudy history they never win in Philadelphia. You have to go back 57 years for the last time Pittsburgh came east and won in the Keystone State's largest city -- 1965 at Franklin Field to be exact. Nick Sirianni would be the first to yell 'who cares?' because it's not like the Steelers come to Philly that often, having lost nine times in that nearly 60-year span, the latest of which was Sept. 25, 2016, when Sirianni was coaching receivers in San Diego and wasn't even a blip on the head-coaching radar.
Logically, the Eagles' "dominance" over the Steelers in Philadelphia is meaningless but this is Halloween season and there's something spooky about the Steelers' lack of success here. This is the organization with a record six Super Bowl championships with only three coaches since Chuck Noll arrived in 1969 with all three of them winning Lombardi Trophies and current mentor Mike Tomlin likely to join Noll and Bill Cowher in the Hall of Fame someday.
Tomlin, who took over the Steelers in 2007, has never had a losing season in 15 years so this is by far the low-water mark for him and the organization as they transition from Ben Roethlisberger to Kenny Pickett with a little Mitchell Trubisky thrown in. In short, there is no way history is getting reversed in this environment. The Eagles win easily and move to 7-0.
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