by Bo Marchionte
Twitter @BoMarchionte
Pittsburgh is 4-0 for first time since 1979 season that ended with Super Bowl victory over Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV, after beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-29.
“Wasn’t a perfect performance,” Mike Tomlin said after the Steelers win. Although the win helped keep Pittsburgh among the few perfect teams left in the National Football League.
It is the second time in team history the Steelers have started 4-0 (1973 & 2020) and three games away from matching the franchise record 7-0 start set back in 1978. Pittsburgh is firing on all cylinders as Ben Roethlisberger and company are stacking wins to remain a game ahead of both Baltimore and Cleveland in the AFC North.
“Well, it’s always important to kind of get going early because you don’t know what the season holds, right?” Ben Roethlisberger said after the win. “But there is still a lot of football ahead of us.”
A sense of normalcy surrounded the close proximities around Heinz Field with parking lots sprinkled with fans attending the first Steelers game allowing fans in the stadium. Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” played from a black pickup truck with a table behind it filled with tailgating favorites, readily available to those enjoying the COVID-19 experience the best they can.
It was a good sign and hopefully a sign of things to come despite the National Football League scrambling to maneuver games as COVID-19 outbreaks on NFL rosters derail the schedule. However today in Pittsburgh the miniscule attendance erased the new norm as masks and social distancing are taking center stage in our everyday lives.
The thrill of seeing a Terrible Towel waved never looked better. Fans being heard through the glass windows of the press box was a symphony to the football minded souls who relish in the sanctum of fan filled stadiums.
The Steelers did not miss beat in their return from a Week 4 bye created from the Tennessee Titans breaking COVID-19 protocol and forcing the NFL to reschedule the rematch on October 25th. Pittsburgh’s defense was not up to its normal suffocating style, but the offense managed to pile up points to keep the perfect season intact.
Pittsburgh’s defense allowed the most points (29) since surrendering 33 to the New England Patriots in the opener last year. Carson Wentz did his best to make unknown receiver Travis Fulgham a household name after a career day that even the best wideouts in the league would envy. Wentz consistently found Fulgham who finished the game with ten catches for 152-yards and one touchdown.
“They had guys like 13 (Travis Fulgham) stepping up and making combat catches,” Mike Tomlin said. “We had guys in position. They made some plays. They made some plays on the football. (Carson) Wentz made some throws.”
Roethlisberger would not be outdone but the Philadelphia duo.
The two-time winning Super Bowl quarterback took his rookie receiver to another level after a performance few in the history of NFL have been able to match. Chase Claypool had four total touchdowns on the afternoon
The supersized speedster had seven receptions for 110 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried the football three times for six yards which one resulted in another touchdown. Claypool was unstoppable using his speed and big frame to cause headaches for the Eagles secondary for the entire game.
“Claypool was obliviously was a guy who had a big game,” Tomlin said post-game but was reluctant to allow his sensational game morph into a life of its own. “Let’s be honest Jerry (Dulac) a lot of it might not even have to do with him and his skill set man. We just got a well-balanced attack and we got guys who people have to account for.”
The Steelers have already been affected with their Tennessee Titans game being pushed back until the 25th over October after an outbreak postpone their first road game of the season that was supposed to take place last weekend. Pittsburgh (3-0) were looking to keep stride with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns in what looks to be a tight race towards the AFC North division crown.
“We won the game and that’s all the matters to us that’s the most important thing,” Roethlisberger said regarding the team possibly losing momentum with the distraction of the unplanned bye week due to the Titans misfortunes. “
Roethlisberger had another solid performance against a physical Eagles defense. His 10 touchdown passes are the second most in his first four games one behind the 11 he threw back in 2016. In that same year Roethlisberger had three interceptions to go along with those 11 turnovers and this season he has only one interception. After missing nearly, the entire 2019 season last year, he is playing some of the best football of his career.
“That’s a really good defense,” Roethlisberger said. “You can say what you want about being banged up in the secondary, but that front eight, nine guys get after you, rotating guys in, and they rush hard. I feel like it’s a typical Eagles game. I mean, sore – it’s just one o those games. It’s real physical.”
This is the fifth time Roethlisberger has played the Eagles and the last outing in 2016 the Steelers were whipped 34-3 and he failed to find the endzone and threw one pick. The win today puts his personal record against Philadelphia at 3-2 despite the Eagles being one of the teams the Steelers have played the most in franchise history.
Philadelphia has a hidden history against Pittsburgh with a series that began back in 1933. Only two other teams have faced off against the Steelers (Cleveland 134 – Cincinnati 99), more than the Eagles with 79 games played between the two Pennsylvania franchises. The AFL/NFL merger created a void in these two teams not claiming state bragging rights on an annual basis.
This is a well-balanced football team.
With Cleveland headed to Pittsburgh next the stakes for the AFC North crown grow even higher.