The Eagles will travel across the state to Pittsburgh for a showdown with the Steelers on Sunday in the"Battle of Pennslyvania." The Steelers have got out of the gates hot this season with a 3-0 record, while the Eagles have been decimated by injuries and currently hold a 1-2-1 record. With a win on Sunday, the Steelers will be 4-0 for the first time since 1979.
- The Eagles willed their way to a 25-20 victory over the 49ers last Sunday night on the road, a much-needed win after tying the Bengals the week prior. The Steelers had an unexpected bye in Week 4 due to the COVID-19 outbreak within the Titans organization causing their game to be rescheduled to Oct. 25. The Steelers are 9-4 under Mike Tomlin coming off a bye week and 4-1 when playing at Heinz Field after an off week, per Pro Football Reference. Since 1990, the Steelers are 19-12 in the following week after a bye.
- The Eagles lead the all-time series against the Steelers 48-28-3. The Steelers are 1-2 against the Eagles under Mike Tomlin. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the Steelers are 4-8 against the Eagles. Ben Roethlisberger is 2-2 in his career against the Eagles with both his wins coming at Heinz Field in 2004 and 2012. It's a good thing for the Steelers that they don't have to travel to Philadelphia on Sunday since they have lost nine straight games against the Eagles in the City of Brotherly Love and haven't won there since 1965.
- The Steelers are 7.5-point favorites against the Eagles on Sunday and the over/under for the game is 44.5 points, according to oddsshark.com. If the line remains, it will be the largest point spread between the two franchises dating back to 1979, according to Michael Gatti of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The biggest spread happened back in 1994 when the Eagles lost in Pittsburgh, 14-3, as 6-point underdogs. The Eagles are 1-4 against the spread in their last five games and the under is 8-3 in Pittsburgh’s last 11 games, per Oddsshark.com. The over is 5-1 in Philadelphia’s last six road games.
- Eagles' running back Miles Sanders will play against his hometown team on Sunday. Sanders played at Woodland Hills and would go on to play at Penn State before making his way to Philadelphia.
"It’s a blessing, honestly. I can't really put it into words, because it’s a lot of emotions,” said Sanders, who grew up a Steelers fan. “The way our city’s set up, guys like me, young African-Americans like me coming out of Pittsburgh, this stuff isn't guaranteed or promised to anybody. I know so many players I played with, I know many friends that could be doing something successful or be in the same position as me, but they took the wrong route.”
Sanders is 1-3 when playing at Heinz Field, but will play there for the first time as a professional on Sunday. He lost to Pitt as a freshman and lost in the WPIAL Class 4A title game twice at Woodland Hills in his freshman and sophomore seasons. His favorite moment at Heinz Field was his lone win when Penn State beat Pitt, 51-6, in 2018. "51-6, that's all I got to say," Sanders told reporters during a conference call on Friday.
- Derek Watt (hamstring) and Marcus Allen (foot) did not practice all week and both have been ruled out for Sunday's game against Philadelphia. Eagles' wide receivers DeSean Jackson (hamstring) and Alshon Jeffrey (illness) have been ruled out by the team, along with cornerback Avonte Maddox (ankle). The Eagles have been hampered by injuries this season with 15 players on injured reserve, while the Steelers have just two players on IR -- Zach Banner (ACL) and Stefen Wisniewski (pectoral).
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