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Eagles-Steelers player matchup to watch in Week 15 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles (11-2) are hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) at the Linc on Sunday afternoon.
Here are some key matchups to watch:
Jalen Hurts vs. top turnover defense in NFL
While Jalen Hurts isn’t coming off his best game on Sunday against the Panthers, he has been extremely clean with the football since the bye week. Now, there’s a theory floating that his hyper fixation on not turning the ball over has led to him being a little gun shy — there’s obviously a balance to strike there. But it is undoubtedly a good thing that he’s not turning the ball over. In the first four games of the season, Hurts had seven turnovers. During this nine-game winning streak, he has just two.
But this Steelers’ defense has been extremely opportunistic and leads the NFL in takeaways with 28. That’s the most takeaways for a team through 13 games since the Colts in 2021. The Steelers have three takeaways in each of their last four games. They have more takeaways in their last four games than 10 teams have all season. Donte Jackson leads the team with five interceptions, while T.J. Watt leads the team with five forced fumbles.
Lane Johnson vs. T.J. Watt
The Steelers have a good defensive line with Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig on the edge and Cameron Heyward inside. Those four players have 26 of the Steelers’ 32 sacks this season.
All of them are good players but Watt is a four-time All-Pro and former Defensive Player of the Year and leads the team with 9 1/2 sacks and 5 forced fumbles this year. He lines up almost exclusively on the left side of the defensive line, which sets up a matchup vs. Lane Johnson, who remains one of the best right tackles in the NFL.
Saquon Barkley vs. tough run defense
The Eagles have obviously had a heavy running attack in their nine-game winning streak since the bye week and Saquon Barkley is on pace to break the NFL’s all-time single-season…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-steelers-player-matchup-watch-120000630.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-12-13 12:00:00
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