Big win! It's always good to stick the Steelers, who preserved their remarkable streak of not winning in Philly since the pre-Chuck Noll days. I overestimated the Steelers' ability to grind out a game; they miss TJ Watt (and perhaps Big Ben) more than initially believed. On to a few grades:
JALEN HURTS: B+. Most will go nuts over Jalen's 4-to-nil touchdown to pick ratio; I can't help but give most of that credit to AJ Brown destroying the defenders one on one (or occasionally one-on-two). I couldn't help but notice that his accuracy was inconsistent. Still, I'm impressed with the effort today, on the whole. Perhaps the biggest takeaway: this was only the second game for Hurts all season with no reckless plays (fumbles, picks or dropped picks); Washington was the first.
SKILL GUYS, non AJ Brown division: B+. Miles Sanders ground his way to nearly a hundred yards and a score in limited carries. Zach Pascal finally got involved (57 yards and a score on just two touches!). Goedert was nearly as impressive as Brown, especially in the YAC realm. He's always a monster there and today was no different.
AJ BROWN: A+. What else can we say? 6 catches for 156 yards and three scores? No embellishment needed. Easily the game's MVP.
OFFENSIVE LINE: A-. Generally they picked up blitzes well and opened the run lanes that were needed. There were a few times they were beaten around the edge by the Steelers backup rushers, which is not the best result.
DEFENSIVE LINE: A. A trio of unsung guys in Javon Hargrave, Marlon Tuipulotu and Milton Williams deserve some real attention here: 4 sacks, 3 TFLs and a PBU combined.
LINEBACKERS: B. TJ Edwards had an up and down day but seemed to get better as they day went along. I rarely noticed that Kyzir White was even on the field. The Steelers' tight ends didn't kill us, which was a concern going in.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: B+. The Steelers talented wide receiver group never really got going. CJGJ grabbed his fourth INT of the year. Philly did drop several more picks, however.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C. McPhearson had that great punt cover that nearly turned into a safety. Other than that, nothing that this group did impressed. Again.
OFFICIALS: F-. What a terrible game for the zebras. The referees seem more interested in injecting themselves into the game each season, but this game was worse than normal, and really it affected both sides. I think this game had to set the record for illegal formation penalties called. Many will discuss the phantom delay of game call that directly led to the Steelers' one touchdown, but I was nearly as unhappy with the uncalled hold that happened a couple plays earlier. The CBS guys (more on them in a bit) were filled with angst over the incompletion that could have been overturned; as with the Dallas game incident, one can't get too upset as Pittsburgh had plenty of opportunity to challenge the call but passed on doing so.
CBS ANNOUNCER: F-. I'm tired of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo obviously favoring the AFC team in these cross-conference games. They used to do it with New England when Brady was there, they do it with Mahomes and they did it today with the Steelers. It was painful. Add to that the insufferable Gary Danielson on the college calls, and CBS has a notable problem.
2022 SEASON OUTLOOK: A+. It's the best start in eighteen years. In 2004, the Eagles' seventh win was an overtime win over the lowly Browns. This team just stomped their cross-state rival by three touchdowns. The only shadow of concern is the Jordan Davis injury. The Eagles' run defense needs him healthy. We'll be watching this one.
Going forward, Philly will need to get ready on the short week to take on Houston in Texas on Thursday. There is a significant talent discrepancy but Houston plays hard and will be at home. Should things go poorly for the Astros in Philly this week, it's possible that we'll see a more hostile Houston crowd than normally might be the case. A visit from the Commanders and a trip to the Colts follows that. It's hard to see how Philly won't bring a 10-0 record into their prime time Thanksgiving weekend clash with Green Bay, but that's why they play these games. Let's go Eagles (and Phillies)!
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