Pittsburgh Steelers
vs.
Philadelphia Eagles
Week 3
NFL Pick
9/25/16
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia both have started the season in impressive fashion. They are both 2-0. Pittsburgh has one of the league’s most impressive offenses through the first two weeks. Philadelphia has one of the league’s best statistical defenses through Week 2. Pittsburgh is a 3.5-point favorite as the Steelers head to Philly.
Ben Roethlisberger has completed just over 62% of his passes. He has thrown for 559 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. Roethlisberger benefits from a talented set of playmakers around him that should keep the Pittsburgh offense humming all season long.
Antonio Brown, as phenomenal as always, has 12 receptions, 165 yards and two touchdowns. There’s also a developing tandem with Sammie Coates. Coates is in his second season out of Auburn. He only caught one pass a season ago. Now, in his second year, Coates has Four receptions for 153 yards. That’s a 38.3-yard average per receptions. He’s fast; he’s a deep threat. Watch out for more from Roethlisberger and Coates as they gel together.
Then there’s DeAngelo Williams, who is playing primary running back while Le’Veon Bell is out. Williams just so happens to be leading the league with 237 rushing yards. He’s done this on 58 attempts and has scored twice. Williams also has one touchdown reception on 66 yards through the air.
Philadelphia has turned the reins over to rookie quarterback Carson Wentz who has performed well in the early going. Wentz has completed over 60% of his passes for 468 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He has appeared poised and in control of things. It’s impressive to imagine what Wentz will become in the NFL as he grows more comfortable.
Jordan Matthews is a young, developing wide receiver that will be fun to watch as Wentz matures. Matthews, in his third season, has 13 receptions, 185 yards and a touchdown. He came just three yards shy of his first 1,000 yard season last year. Two Games in, Matthews is on pace for nearly 1,500 yards this season. Nelson Agholor is another young receiver to keep an eye on as this offense develops.
Ryan Mathews is leading the way in the backfield right now. He has 31 carries for 109 yards and three touchdowns. It will be interesting to see if Mathews can stay healthy. He hasn’t played a full 16 Games since 2013 — also the last time he ran for over 1,000 yards. If Mathews is consistently available it should prove very beneficial to this team going forward.
Prediction: Pittsburgh’s offense really seems to be picking up steam. Philadelphia is only allowing 286 yards per Game to its opponents, but its opponents thus far are Cleveland and Chicago. Watch for that number to go up after Week 3. There’s no way we can go against Roethlisberger and the Steelers right now. It’ll be scary to see what they look like when they get Bell back. If Wentz continues to protect the football, this could very well be a close Game. But, in the end, we’ll take the experieNCe of Pittsburgh to win out. SCore: Steelers 31, Eagles 20