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PHILADELPHIA
PITTSBURGH |
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Final
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| 413 | PHILADELPHIA | 44.5 | 44 | | 414 | PITTSBURGH | -4 | -4 |
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| All Games | 3-1 | +1.5 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 16.5 | 6.0 | 418.0 | (5.9) | 3.0 | 20.7 | 11.7 | 298.2 | (5) | 1.7 | | Road Games | 1-1 | -0.5 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 11.5 | 5.0 | 382.0 | (5.3) | 4.0 | 21.5 | 13.5 | 251.0 | (4.4) | 2.0 | | Last 3 Games | 2-1 | +0.5 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 16.3 | 4.7 | 405.3 | (6.2) | 2.3 | 22.3 | 14.7 | 327.7 | (5.4) | 1.0 | | Grass Games | 3-0 | +3 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 20.0 | 8.0 | 454.7 | (6.1) | 3.0 | 18.7 | 7.7 | 300.3 | (5) | 2.3 |
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| Offense (All Games) | 16.5 | 6.0 | 22.2 | 32:17 | 32-149 | (4.7) | 22-39 | 56.8% | 269 | (6.9) | 71-418 | (5.9) | (25.3) | | Opponents Defensive Avg. | 20.5 | 9.9 | 21 | 31:09 | 28-109 | (3.8) | 22-37 | 59.5% | 266 | (7.2) | 65-375 | (5.7) | (18.3) | | Offense Road Games | 11.5 | 5.0 | 20.5 | 30:42 | 25-138 | (5.4) | 23-46 | 49.5% | 244 | (5.2) | 72-382 | (5.3) | (33.2) | | Defense (All Games) | 20.7 | 11.7 | 16.2 | 27:43 | 24-91 | (3.8) | 19-36 | 52.4% | 207 | (5.8) | 60-298 | (5) | (14.4) | | Opponents Offensive Avg. | 23.8 | 9.8 | 20.3 | 29:10 | 22-86 | (3.8) | 24-40 | 60.1% | 269 | (6.8) | 62-355 | (5.7) | (14.9) | | Defense Road Games | 21.5 | 13.5 | 14.0 | 29:17 | 28-99 | (3.5) | 14-29 | 49.2% | 152 | (5.2) | 57-251 | (4.4) | (11.7) |
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| Stats For (All Games) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3.0 | -1.2 | 15-6 | 40.0% | 1-0 | 66.7% | 3-57 | (19.1) | 2-9 | (5) | 7-70 | | Opponents Avg. Stats Against | 1.2 | 0.8 | 2 | 2.8 | 14-5 | 34.4% | 1-0 | 46.8% | 3-71 | (23.6) | 23-2 | (11.3) | 8-64 | | Stats For (Road Games) | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 | 16-6 | 39.4% | 1-0 | 50.0% | 3-65 | (21.7) | 1-11 | (7.3) | 8-87 | | Stats Against (All Games) | 1.5 | 0.2 | 1.7 | | 13-3 | 26.9% | 1-0 | 25.0% | 3-107 | (30.5) | 4-48 | (11.4) | 5-49 | | Opponents Avg. Stats For | 1.2 | 0.4 | 1.7 | | 13-4 | 32.8% | 1-0 | 43.1% | 3-82 | (25.8) | 29-3 | (11.1) | 7-63 | | Stats Against (Road Games) | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | | 14-4 | 28.6% | 0-0 | 0.0% | 2-55 | (22) | 5-65 | (11.8) | 4-47 |
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| All Games | 1-2 | -1.6 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 25.7 | 13.3 | 349.3 | (5.4) | 1.0 | 25.0 | 10.3 | 291.3 | (5.6) | 1.0 | | Home Games | 1-0 | +1 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 27.0 | 13.0 | 331.0 | (5.6) | 0.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 219.0 | (4.5) | 1.0 | | Last 3 Games | 1-2 | -1.6 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 25.7 | 13.3 | 349.3 | (5.4) | 1.0 | 25.0 | 10.3 | 291.3 | (5.6) | 1.0 | | Grass Games | 1-2 | -1.6 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 25.7 | 13.3 | 349.3 | (5.4) | 1.0 | 25.0 | 10.3 | 291.3 | (5.6) | 1.0 |
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| Offense (All Games) | 25.7 | 13.3 | 21.3 | 35:59 | 25-65 | (2.6) | 27-40 | 68.3% | 284 | (7.1) | 65-349 | (5.4) | (13.6) | | Opponents Defensive Avg. | 26.4 | 11.8 | 21.2 | 33:03 | 30-130 | (4.2) | 22-34 | 63.1% | 234 | (6.8) | 65-363 | (5.6) | (13.8) | | Offense Home Games | 27.0 | 13.0 | 21.0 | 36:36 | 28-66 | (2.4) | 24-31 | 77.4% | 265 | (8.5) | 59-331 | (5.6) | (12.3) | | Defense (All Games) | 25.0 | 10.3 | 19.0 | 24:01 | 23-101 | (4.3) | 18-29 | 60.9% | 190 | (6.6) | 52-291 | (5.6) | (11.7) | | Opponents Offensive Avg. | 21.8 | 9.2 | 19.4 | 28:41 | 24-85 | (3.5) | 22-37 | 58.9% | 245 | (6.6) | 61-330 | (5.4) | (15.1) | | Defense Home Games | 10.0 | 10.0 | 16.0 | 23:24 | 22-90 | (4.1) | 10-27 | 37.0% | 129 | (4.8) | 49-219 | (4.5) | (21.9) |
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| Stats For (All Games) | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 16-9 | 56.2% | 1-1 | 75.0% | 2-39 | (23.2) | 2-23 | (11.3) | 9-80 | | Opponents Avg. Stats Against | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.9 | 14-7 | 48.6% | 1-1 | 72.7% | 2-37 | (21.1) | 27-3 | (10) | 8-60 | | Stats For (Home Games) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 15-8 | 53.3% | 0-0 | 0.0% | 2-45 | (22.5) | 2-23 | (11.5) | 10-107 | | Stats Against (All Games) | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | | 11-5 | 48.5% | 0-0 | 0.0% | 2-66 | (33.2) | 2-11 | (5.5) | 5-46 | | Opponents Avg. Stats For | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | | 13-5 | 37.9% | 1-0 | 50.0% | 2-47 | (24.6) | 25-2 | (10.7) | 6-52 | | Stats Against (Home Games) | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | | 12-4 | 33.3% | 0-0 | 0.0% | 4-112 | (28) | 3-6 | (2) | 7-63 |
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| | Average power rating of opponents played: PHILADELPHIA 22.8, PITTSBURGH 16 |
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| 9/9/2012 | @ CLEVELAND | 17-16 | W | -8.5 | L | 42.5 | U | 30-150 | 29-56-306 | 5 | 22-99 | 12-35-111 | 4 | | 9/16/2012 | BALTIMORE | 24-23 | W | -3 | L | 47 | P | 41-129 | 23-32-357 | 4 | 21-111 | 22-42-214 | 2 | | 9/23/2012 | @ ARIZONA | 6-27 | L | -3 | L | 42 | U | 21-126 | 17-37-182 | 3 | 34-99 | 17-24-193 | 0 | | 9/30/2012 | NY GIANTS | 19-17 | W | -2 | T | 46.5 | U | 36-191 | 19-30-231 | 0 | 19-57 | 24-42-309 | 1 | | 10/7/2012 | @ PITTSBURGH | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10/14/2012 | DETROIT | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10/28/2012 | ATLANTA | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11/5/2012 | @ NEW ORLEANS | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| 9/9/2012 | @ DENVER | 19-31 | L | 3 | L | 45 | O | 26-75 | 22-40-209 | 1 | 27-94 | 19-26-240 | 1 | | 9/16/2012 | NY JETS | 27-10 | W | -4.5 | W | 43 | U | 28-66 | 24-31-265 | 0 | 22-90 | 10-27-129 | 1 | | 9/23/2012 | @ OAKLAND | 31-34 | L | -3.5 | L | 45.5 | O | 20-54 | 36-49-379 | 2 | 21-119 | 24-34-202 | 1 | | 10/7/2012 | PHILADELPHIA | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10/11/2012 | @ TENNESSEE | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10/21/2012 | @ CINCINNATI | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10/28/2012 | WASHINGTON | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11/4/2012 | @ NY GIANTS | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| |  | PHILADELPHIA: Philly has returned to a relatively balanced offensive attack, finishing middle of the pack in run/pass balance in 2011. The running game really took off after the arrival of offensive line guru Howard Mudd last season, and they're now one of the league's most effective zone-blocking teams. Head coach Andy Reid admitted that LeSean McCoy was overworked last season, so look for him to get closer to about 70 percent of the team's reps rather than the 80-plus percent he got last year. Either Dion Lewis, Bryce Brown or Chris Polk will pick up the rest. All four backs are capable of playing three downs. McCoy will get the vast majority of the team's red zone touches. The Eagles' West Coast is aggressive attacking downfield. Despite last year's issues, DeSean Jackson downfield is still this team's No. 1 option, especially when quarterback Michael Vick is able to buy time with his legs. Tight end Brent Celek emerged as a legitimate No. 2 target underneath, though Jeremy Maclin could have a bigger role now that he's entering training camp 100 percent healthy. Every once in awhile, they'll have a game plan specific to slot receiver Jason Avant, but his role will be limited as long as their top three pass catchers are healthy. They also feature McCoy and the backs heavily in the screen game. When they throw near the goal line, they look to run some sort of play-action or other misdirection and get the ball primarily to Celek. The loss of Asante Samuel hurts the Philadelphia defense, but plenty of talent remains in the secondary, most notably shutdown corners Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. There's also plenty of talent up front with DEs Jason Babin (18 sacks) and Trent Cole (11 sacks). Babin made a great decision following DL coach Jim Washburn back to Philly to play in the 'wide nine' formation, and it resulted in six multi-sack performances in 2011. Philly's blitz-happy scheme keeps defenses from doubling Babin, and the presence of Cole, one of the NFL's most consistent defensive linemen, helps open things up even more. The weakness of this defense in 2011 was the linebacking corps, which is where former Texans LB DeMeco Ryans comes in. His best years in Houston were as a 4-3 middle linebacker before the Texans switched to a 3-4 a year ago. A likely three-down 4-3 MLB in Philly, he's a solid bounce-back candidate and, as long as he can remain healthy, the productive middle man the Eagles have been lacking since Jeremiah Trotter. | | PITTSBURGH: Much was made about former coordinator Bruce Arians' aversion to the running game, and new offensive coordinator Todd Haley (who was the head coach of the run-heavy Chiefs) seems to have been brought in to correct that. The Steelers have a big, man-blocking line and Haley prefers the committee approach. With Rashard Mendenhall recovering from a torn ACL, Isaac Redman will get a heavy workload early in the season. Jonathan Dwyer figures to take a chunk of the early down reps. Redman can handle third down duties, though Baron Batch could push him for that role. Batch might have held that role a year ago had he not torn his ACL. Haley used to oversee the Cardinals' offense, so he's not lost in the passing game. Expect a lot of three-receiver sets and spread principles, with Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown on the outside and Emmanuel Sanders in the slot. Ben Roethlisberger's trademark is improvising and stretching out plays. Wallace might more often be the primary target, but Brown has shown more of an ability to shake open once the play breaks down. Sanders will be the primary target in the middle of the field. Tight end Heath Miller often stays in to protect. When the Steelers throw near the goal line, it's often play-action to someone in the middle of the field (Miller or the slot receiver, possibly Sanders now). Wallace's and Brown's roles are usually minimized once the Steelers drive deep into opponent territory, unless Roethlisberger is buying time on a broken play. The Steelers were tied for ninth in the league in sacks despite a rash of injuries to their linebackers. Although they forced an NFL-low 15 turnovers in 2011, Pittsburgh still led the league in scoring defense and yardage defense'the schedule is kind enough to allow for a repeat of these numbers. Lawrence Timmons' numbers were down last year because of a move to outside linebacker for about a third of the season. He'll play inside full time in 2012, and his numbers could revert closer to where they were in 2010. Troy Polamalu, meanwhile, looked a half-step slow by the end of last season due to all the nagging injuries he's been dealing with. He appears to finally be on the decline. |
| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER PRO FOOTBALL PREVIEW (PHILADELPHIA-PITTSBURGH) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Eagles-Steelers Preview* =========================
By BRETT HUSTON STATS Editor
As fortunate as they may have seemed at the time, it's hard to argue with the Philadelphia Eagles' results so far.
The Pittsburgh Steelers would be happy to settle for winning ugly.
The Steelers should get Troy Polamalu, James Harrison and Rashard Mendenhall back as they look to avoid falling in a 1-3 hole Sunday against the visiting Eagles.
Philadelphia (3-1) has been outscored by 17 points through four games, but it has a pair of one-point wins and a two-point victory to thank for its winning record. It's trailed at the two-minute warning of the fourth quarter in all three wins.
The Steelers, meanwhile, have blown fourth-quarter leads in both of their defeats, watching a 10-point cushion disappear in a 34-31 overtime loss in Oakland on Sept. 23 before a bye week.
"There's no panic in here," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "It's still a marathon, but we need to get a win."
They'll have some help Sunday as they try to avoid falling to 1-3 for the first time since 2006 - their last non-winning season. Polamalu, who's missed the last two games with a strained calf, and Harrison, who's yet to play due to a lingering left knee problem, are expected to return to a defense that's produced five sacks and allowed opponents to convert 48.5 percent of third downs - both among the league's four worst.
Having two former Defensive Players of the Year back should help, but to safety Ryan Clark, their additions mean little if the defense can't produce.
"I think it's more pressure, honestly," Clark said. "No more excuses."
The Steelers have surrendered an average of 31.3 points in losing three straight on the road dating to their playoff loss in Denver, but being home should help. Pittsburgh has allowed just 9.3 points per game in winning nine of its last 10 at Heinz Field.
It'll see an Eagles offense that's fifth in the league in total yards (417.8 per game) but 30th in scoring (16.5). A staggering 12 turnovers were the biggest culprit in the unit's struggles through three weeks, but Philadelphia didn't give it away once in last Sunday night's 19-17 win over the Giants.
Still, it only survived after New York's Lawrence Tynes missed a 54-yard field goal in the waning seconds.
"I'd like to keep winning. I'd like to keep winning by more than one or two points. I'd like that, but I like winning," coach Andy Reid said Monday. "I honestly don't feel like we've come close to playing our best football yet."
Michael Vick was much better against the Giants after throwing six interceptions and fumbling five times in his opening three games. He also made a difference with his legs, scrambling six times for a season-high 49 yards.
"I just played smarter," said Vick, who's been knocked down 44 times - 18 more than the next-most for a quarterback. "The thing is in this game you can't force opportunities against the defense, you have to let it come.
"I'll be honest, missing the preseason did affect me to a certain extent, but now I'm getting into my groove and seeing the field a little better. The guys around me are helping me and that's important."
Vick suffered a knee contusion late in last weekend's game but is expected to be at full strength Sunday.
There's also a chance left tackle King Dunlap (hamstring) could return, though perhaps not at his original position. He took some snaps at right guard in practice Wednesday with Danny Watkins out, a sign the Eagles are pleased with Demetress Bell's job filling in for Dunlap.
Philadelphia's defense allows 6.16 yards per pass attempt - only San Francisco and Houston are better - but the Steelers should provide a formidable threat. Roethlisberger is the NFL's second highest-rated passer (109.2) and has thrown eight touchdowns to one interception.
He's been sacked nine times, though that seems like nothing compared to the last time he faced the Eagles. Philadelphia brought him down eight times in that 15-6 win Sept. 21, 2008.
"He's a big guy. You can't tackle him low. You've got to tackle him high," said defensive end Trent Cole, who had one of those sacks. "That's going to be one of our keys to getting him down."
The Steelers are 16-19 in the regular season when Roethlisberger is sacked four times or more, and 65-17 when he goes down three times or less.
Being able to hand the ball to Mendenhall could be big for Roethlisberger. The Steelers are averaging a league-low 2.6 yards per carry without the former first-round pick, who has missed the first three games after tearing his ACL in January.
Roethlisberger is 13-1 in home games against NFC opponents.
Game Notes: |
| | Last Updated: 4/26/2024 5:57:15 AM EST. |
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