Steelers vs. Eagles: What they’re saying in Philadelphia
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As the old country song by Jerry Reed goes, “When you’re hot, you’re hot. And when you’re not, you’re not.”
That was the case for the Philadelphia Eagles (the “hot” part) in their 35-13 rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers (the “not” part).
The Eagles remained the only undefeated NFL team, thanks in part to receiver A.J. Brown’s three-touchdown game. Brown’s first touchdown wasn’t even designed for him, according to Bo Wulf of The Athletic.
“And I looked up, the ball was in the air, and I’m like, ‘Oh, (crap).’ … I gotta at least try to go do something,” Brown said. “I know Minkah (Fitzpatrick) was back there and he was playing it like a center fielder. I’m glad he wasn’t that aggressive, so I had to be the aggressor.”
(One positive note for the Steelers, Fitzpatrick tackled Brown on a 43-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter, with Brown saying he thinks that’s the only time he’s been caught from behind in the NFL.)
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts became the first quarterback to throw four touchdown passes of 25 yards or more in a game in the NFL since Patrick Mahomes in 2020, according to Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation.
“This was one of the rare times that the tape matches up to the numbers. The tape tells you (Pittsburgh’s) cornerbacks aren’t very good and the numbers tell you they’re second or third worst in the NFL in giving up production, so why would you not go right after them?” said Adam Caplan of Inside the Birds. “The first three or four throws, Hurts was off of his game a little bit, wasn’t very accurate. After that, he was throwing dimes.”
Related:
• Mark Madden: Now do you believe the Steelers stink?
• Airing of Grievances: Steelers standards sink so far that blowout in Philadelphia seems expected
• Madden Monday: Steelers ‘don’t do anything well’; Kenny Pickett needs to ‘shut up’ when it comes to team criticism
• First Call: Bill Cowher questions Steelers’ use of Kenny Pickett; Najee Harris says, ‘I can’t make a hole. I can’t do everything’
Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave also had a massive day against his former team. Hargrave, who played four seasons with the Steelers after joining the team as a third round pick in the 2016 draft, had two sacks, a forced fumble and eight tackles.
“It felt wonderful, great to just have a day against the old team,” Hargrave told the Delaware County Times. “I can’t really explain it. But there were definitely some things to try to help me win a lot of one-on-ones.”
The Eagles wound up with six sacks on the day.
“Sacks come in bunches, as they say,” wrote Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice. “More accurately, they tend to come in bunches against bad offensive lines, which is what the Eagles faced today. Credit them for taking advantage.”
And as bad as the score turned out to be, it could have been worse. Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni pulled most of the starters in the fourth quarter and the Eagles were more focused on running out the clock than scoring.
Jason Kelce, the Eagles’ four-time All Pro center, was among those able to exit the game early, donning a Batman mask on the sideline. After the game, he knew how he was going to celebrate the win: “I’m gonna go drink some beers.”
“I’m gonna go drink some beers.”
– #Eagles C Jason kelce at the end of his post-game interview pic.twitter.com/qbNfMM4dkG— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) October 30, 2022