Gerry Dulac: Steelers haven't won in Philadelphia since 1965. Another daunting task lies ahead in Week 15.

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Dec 10, 2024

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — For a change, maybe the Steelers know how the Cleveland Browns must feel.

One day after handing the Browns their 21st consecutive regular-season defeat in Pittsburgh, the Steelers get ready to embark on the most difficult three-game test of the season that begins in Philadelphia — a city where they haven't won since before Chuck Noll was the coach.

This Sunday, the Steelers will likely be without receiver George Pickens, who is expected to miss his second game in a row with a hamstring injury.

But there is some good news: The Steelers (10-3) can clinch a playoff spot on Sunday, even if they don't beat the NFC East-leading Eagles (11-2).

"We've been knowing it for the last couple weeks," safety DeShon Elliott said, referring to the stretch of games against the Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. "We got to line up and play. It's just going to show us how good we can be. There's no excuses, obviously."

The Steelers haven't beaten the Eagles in the City of (Not So) Brotherly Love since 1965 — a span of 10 games in which they've lost by an average score of 28-16.

The most recent meetings were even worse defeats — 35-13 in 2022 and 34-3 in 2016.

Even though they won Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, the Steelers lost that same season in Lincoln Financial Field 15-6, a game in which Ben Roethlisberger was sacked eight times and the team averaged 1.7 yards rushing.

Philadelphia has been to the Steelers what the Spectrum once was to the Penguins: They went 42 games in a row in a 15-year span without a road victory against the Flyers.

It will be a daunting task this time, too, because the Eagles have the second-best record in the league (11-2), have won nine in a row and have a league MVP candidate in running back Saquon Barkley who is on pace to break the league's single-season rushing record.

"They have a possible offensive player of the year, a possible MVP at running back," Elliott said. "Jalen (Hurts) has been doing it at a high level for years. (A.J.) Brown is out there. It's not a cakewalk."

And they might have to do it without Pickens, who sustained a Grade 2 hamstring strain in practice last week and did not play in Sunday's 27-14 victory over the Browns. His type of injury usually requires a player to miss at least two games, and the Steelers want to be cautious. Coach Mike Tomlin said after the game, "We didn't want a small problem to become a big problem."

The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot for the fourth time in the past five years and 12th in 18 seasons under Mike Tomlin with a victory against the Eagles or losses by the Miami Dolphins (6-7) and Indianapolis Colts (6-7). Both teams have road games against playoff-minded teams — the Dolphins play in Houston (8-5) and the Colts play in Denver (8-5).

But, with a two-game lead in the AFC North, the Steelers have their eyes on a bigger prize. And they can clinch the division title, no matter what happens in Philadelphia, if they beat the Ravens in Baltimore on Dec. 21.

To be sure, the Steelers' perfect record against teams with a winning record (4-0) — Detroit (6-0) is the only other team that can make that unbeaten claim — will be put to the test the next three weeks.

"We're going to go out here, play those games, work our butts off, go out and be 3-0," Elliott said.

While that could be mistaken as over-zealous hyperbole, it remains the Steelers are 6-1 and averaging 28.4 points since Russell Wilson became the starter. The defense, which ranks fifth overall, has had three takeaways in each of the past four games and leads the league with 28.

"I think we just have a complete team," said defensive end Cam Heyward. "We have a team that is complementary of everybody. You can look at the time of possession on the offensive side of the ball, the big special-teams plays, the defensive big plays as well. All three facets, there are playmakers, there are guys that can take over a game. We need them week in and week out, but we have the guys to do it."