It's the battle of Wentzylvania.
Yes, those are your 2-0 Philadelphia Eagles who will be taking the field Sunday for another national TV game, this time against cross-state rival the Pittsburgh Steelers. Or, as the Associated Press has dubbed the game, the Keystone Konfrontation.
Go ahead, admit. No one saw this coming.
Carson Wentz has been a revelation in leading the Eagles to two straight victories, albeit over the Browns and Bears, two of the lesser lights of the NFL.
The road gets decidedly bumpier now.
Ben Roethlisberger is the real deal.
And that defense that Wentz will be looking at is stout, especially against the run. The Steelers come into this game with the No. 2 ranked defense in the league against the run.
If the Eagles have a chance, it likely will reside on Wentz's right arm, as opposed to their running back by committee.
That might not be such a bad thing. Wentz has proven more than capable as a field general. That was evident in the very first series against Chicago. Wentz was unfazed by the glare of Monday Night Football, and calmly dissected the Bears with a no-huddle offense on the Birds' first drive. Wentz came to the line, examined the defense, and then adjusted his blocking schemes. He even checked out of plays that looked like they would not work against the Bears' defensive formation. This is stuff some veteran QBs struggle with. Wentz was doing it in Game 2.
He's also proved extremely accurate, as well as extremely stingy. Wentz has yet to throw an interception.
One troublesome thing Wentz does need to learn - sooner rather than later - is how to either get out of bounds or get down, so as to avoid some of the hellacious hits he's been absorbing.
Is it enough to pull out a win and run the Birds' mark to 3-0. Possible, yes. Likely, no.
The Pick: Make it Steelers 26, Eagles 23. Nobody is perfect. Neither are Doug Pederson and Wentz. Pederson has been just as big a revelation as his rookie QB. The Eagles have looked extremely well-coached on both sides of the ball. But the Steeler just have more talent.
Last Week: It was the second straight eye-opening performance from Wentz. I liked them to rattle Bears' QB Jay Cutler and force a few turnovers. Cutler and the Bears did just that on successive possessions early in the third quarter, pushing the tide to the Eagles. They never looked back. I'm sitting at an equally pretty 2-0 along with the Eagles. One of us is going to remain perfect Sunday at 4:25. My heart says Eagles; my head says Steelers.
Game by Game: Eagles 29, Browns 10 (My Pick: Eagles 19, Browns 13).
Eagles 29, Bears 14 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Bears 16)
Comments