Philadelphia Eagles Dominate Steelers, Move to 3-0 on Season

In the buildup to this heated Pennsylvania rivalry, the focus rested heavily on whether a rookie quarterback could lead his team past one of the most potent offenses in the league with soaring expectations resting on his inexperienced shoulders. That focus, of course, was on everyone’s mind except the man in question, Carson Wentz who proved once again that he is able and ready to lead this Philadelphia squad past any opponent that stands in his way.

Keeping expectations in check has been difficult for the Philadelphia faithful. They’ve been down this road before; hot starts, new systems, season trajectories fluctuating anywhere from conference bums to Super Bowl bound. Being 3-0 is no indicator that a team is ready to run rampant in the National Football League with no signs of slowing down.

A new head coach, defensive scheme and a rookie quarterback who just eight days before the start of the season was preparing to sit out the entire season has been refreshing to watch, to say the least. But pulling out a dominant victory on both sides of the ball against a valiant Steelers team to go 3-0? This is truly uncharted territory for Eagles fans everywhere.

Against his strongest test to date, Carson Wentz showed that when it comes to being a next level passer in the NFL, there is a real difference between quarterbacking an offense and dictating an offense. After today, it’s extremely clear that Wentz is the leader that this Eagles organization expected him to be; just not this early in his career.

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The gunslinger from North Dakota State possesses the vision to read and analyze formations, unlike any young mind before him. Forcing Pittsburgh to show their hand on numerous plays, Wentz adapted, improvised and executed Doug Pederson‘s offense perfectly against a veteran Steelers defensive front. Mixing up play calls and working the ball effectively on the ground and through the air, the Eagles offense was unstoppable on Sunday, scoring on six of their first eight possessions in the game.

Carson Wentz completed 23 of his 31 passes for two touchdowns to Jordan Matthews and Darren Sproles and accumulated his first 300-yard performance. More impressive, he has yet to turn the ball over in over 100 passing attempts to start his NFL career. Wendell Smallwood and Kenjon Barner each provided a score on the ground in a game that hardly featured Philadelphia’s number one back, Ryan Mathews.

An offense this good can only go so far if they are complimented by the boys on the other side of the ball. Luckily for Wentz and company, the defense came ready to fight.

All expectations had “Battle PA” going in favor of the visiting Pittsburgh side with their high octane offense thriving under the control of Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. The duo has been lighting up NFL defenses for years and with so many questions surrounding the Philadelphia secondary, the match-up was a formula for a long day on the defensive side of the ball.

Jim Schwartz’s crew clearly did not get the memo.

An early blocked field goal by Bennie Logan set the tone for the Eagles front seven to stay hungry, focused and versatile in their attack on the Steelers line which hindered their running game to only produce 29 yards on the ground. DeAngelo Williams‘ sensational campaign in the absence of LeVeon Bell was halted forcefully by the likes of Brandon Graham, Nigel Bradham and Fletcher Cox who had their way with the Steelers seemingly every play of the game.

The Eagles pressured Big Ben in the pocket all game long forcing him to work through his progression only to find his receivers tied up across the board by the quick Philly defensive backs.

Rookie corner Jalen Mills battled admirably against Brown with help coming in the form of Malcolm Jenkins who seemed to be everywhere on the field. Roethlisberger was unable to consistently connect with his deep threat wideouts which left him flustered and prone to mistakes. That ultimately led to the Eagles defense forcing four sacks and two turnovers on the day who also have yet to allow a passing touchdown on the season.

In the end, the Philadelphia Eagles left the Pittsburgh Steelers shell shocked and sent home scratching their heads, along with most analysts around the National Football League.

Do fans remember how they felt before the Browns game? What was the thought process? Rebuilding season, beginning of a new era, seeing how the pieces fit together, right?

Well through three games, the Eagles look put together, well-rounded and off to a blistering start in this new and completely raw era of Philly football. Every test that this squad has faced so far has been passed with flying colors that has this city flying their team’s color high in the sky. Now going into their bye week, us along with everyone around the league has a chance to put this undefeated start into perspective.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles Face Their First Real Test Sunday

Defensively, the Eagles have allowed only 27 points through their first three games. Offensively, Philadelphia has put up 10 touchdowns without turning the ball over once all season. And with no foreseeable cap or limit on Carson Wentz’s ability at the quarterback position, the sky is the limit for this team.

Luckily, Eagles have wings, so getting past that analogy shouldn’t be a problem for them at all.