Pittsburgh Steelers vs Philadelphia Eagles prediction, preview, team news and more
After kicking off the 2021 NFL preseason with the Hall of Fame Game last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles tonight.
The Steelers started their preseason campaign with a 16-3 win over the Dallas Cowboys and will be looking to keep the momentum going in the City of Brotherly Love.
Pennsylvania bragging rights will be on the line between the two local franchises tonight. It’s one of two NFC vs AFC games that kick off at 7.30pm ET.
Philadelphia went through a transformational offseason, firing Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson and trading away former starting quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. New head coach Nick Sirianni will be desperate for a strong showing from his young squad in tonight’s preseason opener.
Here's a look at how the teams will line up for tonight's clash.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles: Team news
Tonight’s game will be Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni’s first game in charge and he has been vocal about playing his starters.
Second-year Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will likely see some game time. The young QB is the presumed Week 1 starter for Philadelphia, so they won’t want to risk him getting injured. The Eagles fanbase, though, will want to see how Hurts shapes up after his first full NFL training camp.
Rookie wide receiver DeVonta Smith will get his first taste of NFL action and will be itching to show Eagles fans why he was picked in the first round this year.
Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff already have one game of intel on the players. The veteran NFL head coach won't be tempted to do anything drastic this early in the preseason, so it's unlikely that we'll see any starters play more than a few snaps.
Pittsburgh Steelers future Hall of Fame QB Ben Roethlisberger is unlikely to feature again, but the battle to be his backup will continue. It's a three-way contest between last season's backup Mason Rudolph, new signing Dwayne Haskins and Josh Dobbs. All three should get their opportunity to play a significant amount of time in tonight’s game.
The pressure is essentially on former Washington starter Haskins to show the Steelers coaching staff that he deserves a place on the roster this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles: Prediction
The battle for Pennsylvania should be another closely contested matchup. It's the Eagles' first game under the new coaching regime, so I expect them to come out swinging.
Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith will both want to make big plays in their first action this season, which is why I’m picking the Philadelphia Eagles to edge the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight.
Prediction: The Eagles win a close one 30-24.