The most obvious task at hand for the Pittsburgh Steelers this week is figuring out a way to control Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. The Penn State product is leading the NFL in rushing with 1,623 yards.
Every coach and player in the Steelers locker room has talked about him at some point this week. The defense keeps saying everything starts with making sure Barkley doesn’t dominate the game. The offensive guys keep saying their job is to stay on the field so Barkley stays on the sideline.
Agreed. On both fronts.
Beyond Barkley, though, what are the other key matchups for the Steelers (10-3) as they look to upset the Eagles (11-2) and win in Philadelphia for the first time since 1965?
Here’s a look in this Friday’s edition of “Football Footnotes.”
How do the Steelers handle Philadelphia’s receivers?
Even the Steelers’ defensive players are acknowledging that the Eagles are likely to come out throwing the ball more often this week after the grumbling from receiver A.J. Brown and the media about the lack of a pass-production in their offense.
“You want your guys who are known for making plays to make plays,” Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said. “When they want the ball you definitely see that a lot. That may be a focal point for them going forward. You want to make sure the leaders of your team stay happy. They’ll figure out a way to get him the ball.”
How the Steelers decide to deploy their cornerback tandem will be very interesting. When Porter got all those penalties a few weeks ago trying to guard 6-foot-4, 219-pound Tee Higgins in Cincinnati, Mike Tomlin downplayed the six flags by saying, “When we play Shaq, we’re going to use our fouls.”
Well, if Higgins is Shaq, then at 6-foot-1, 226 pounds Brown is Karl Malone. Porter might be the only Steelers’ corner physical enough to hang with him, even if he does draw some more penalties.
“You’ve got to mix in terms of what kind of coverage,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Thursday. “Is (Brown) doubled, is he singled? I’ve got to do a good job of helping our guys, making them face various coverages, different looks. That helps (the cornerbacks) probably more than individual matchups, ‘mano-a-mano’ out there.”
Brown would be a really tough assignment for the 5-10, 180-pound Donte Jackson. He may be better suited trying to check the smaller, but precise, shifty and skilled DeVonta Smith.
While Smith was quiet two years ago when the Steelers visited Philly (five catches, 23 yards), Brown exploded for six catches, 156 yards and three touchdowns.
Steelers’ young O-lineman vs. Eagles’ big ‘Dawgs’
When the Steelers have the ball, they’ll have former Georgia Bulldogs Broderick Jones and Darnell Washington blocking up front. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Philly deploys UGA alumni in the form of Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Nakobe Dean.
“It’s going to look like a 2022 Georgia spring practice,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said.
It’s also going to be a big challenge on the inside for rookie guard Mason McCormick and rookie center Zach Frazier. Carter is 6-3, 314 pounds. Davis is 6-6, 336.
“You want to protect them. You have to do what you need to do to win the game,” Smith said. “Those guys have (had) consistency for a few weeks now as they improve together. There’s a familiarity, especially up front. Verbal and nonverbal. … It’s been exciting to watch those guys grow together.”
Given Philadelphia’s offensive firepower, keeping the Eagles on the sidelines will be key. Extending drives and converting third downs will be crucial. The Eagles’ defense is eighth in the NFL against the run (105.8 yards allowed per game). The Steelers rush offense is ninth at 132.1.
“They are really good players, They are multiple,” McCormick said. “They do a lot of things up front. They do a really good job. They play really hard. It’s a big test for us this week, and we are excited to get into it.”
Two years ago in Philly, the Steelers were 1 for 12 on third downs, but 4 for 4 on fourth downs.
More sports
• First Call: Travis Kelce’s high praise for Pat Freiermuth; Steelers’ value bumps on Forbes list
• Teryl Austin, Steelers know they can’t have A.J. Brown repeat from last game at Eagles
• Pitt women’s volleyball defeats Oregon in thriller to reach NCAA Tournament Elite 8
Thrown into the deep end
A lot of football types talk about how steep the learning curve for rookies can be, especially when there are multiple guys with inexperience along the offensive line and in the secondary.
As Smith mentioned, Frazier and McCormick have handled that well as a rookie tandem. Meanwhile, first-year defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have really excelled in Philadelphia.
“They’ve got good relationships with the game,” Tomlin said. “They’ve got good football intellect. I think those things could also describe (Frazier and McCormick). That’s usually the case when a young guy positions himself to be a significant contributor to an NFL outfit. There’s a maturity beyond their years, and there’s a football intellect there that’s probably indicative of some really good training and some natural aptitude regarding schematics.”
The Eagles are No. 1 in overall defense (284.2 yards allowed per game) and No. 2 in pass defense (178.5 yards allowed per game). Despite being rookies, Pro Football Focus ranks DeJean as the seventh-best corner in football and Mitchell 13th. However, Russell Wilson is still going to try his best to take his shots at them when he can.
“You’re always playing the game. I think that you’re always trying to find ways to find that 1% that can help you throughout a game — in practice or whatever. These guys for the Eagles, they’ve got a lot of great talent,” Wilson said. “Their young corners, and they’ve got a lot of good players on that side of the football. So for us, we’ve just got to be detailed.”
Wilson is sixth in the NFL in passing yards per game at 254.9. He is also sixth in passer rating (103.9).
Hurry Hurts
Perhaps the most interesting matchups of the day will be on the edges when the Eagles have the ball. Outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith have a huge challenge facing the massive offensive tackles of Philadelphia.
On Watt’s side, right tackle Lane Johnson is 6-6, 325 pounds. On Highsmith’s side, left tackle Jordan Mailata is 6-8, 365 pounds. According to PFF rankings, Mailata is the best tackle in the game and Johnson is fifth. The website claims Mailata has allowed only one sack and drawn three penalties while tagging Johnson for no sacks and five penalties.
In one sense, that’s bad news for a Steelers defense that relies so much on the outside linebackers to generate a pass rush. However, the Eagles also trust their tackles enough that they don’t use a lot of double teams.
So, Watt may not have to go through the usual gauntlet of multiple linemen, chipping tight ends and blocking running backs to get to QB Jalen Hurts.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
