Bold predictions for Eagles versus Steelers in Week 8

There are only so many times that you can talk about the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers before you arrive at the feeling where you just want to yell ‘bring on the game already’. There are only so many times that you can talk about Kenny Pickett‘s chances versus Philly’s defense. Eventually, discussing the first 80 games in this series brings you back to the 81st, one scheduled for Sunday.

With that being said, we’ve had about enough of the conversations about the point spread and their temporary merger, even if shouting out the Steagles never gets old.

The talk and buildup are at their end. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. EST start at Lincoln Financial Field. Both Eagles and Steelers fans figure to be in attendance. Here are a few bold predictions.

Jalen Hurts accounts for three Eagles touchdowns.

This one is a strength-versus-weakness matchup. The Philadelphia Eagles are among the game’s best offensive teams. They’re quite the stingy bunch when they roll their defense out.

The Steelers can’t make those claims. They struggle on offense, often experiencing an inability to move the ball. On defense, they’ve been up and down. At times, they have demonstrated an ability to be impressive. At others, they don’t stop anyone with any real consistent efficiency.

Don’t get us wrong. This isn’t a walkthrough, but Philadelphia should win thanks to another stellar day from QB1 Jalen Hurts.

We’re calling for four touchdown drives. Three come by way of Jalen Hurts’ legs or his arm. This game will strengthen his MVP candidacy if you’re into that type of thing.

The Eagles’ defense forces three turnovers.

Kenny Pickett’s introduction to the NFL has been challenging, and that’s putting things mildly. Appearing in four games with three starts, he’s completed just under 69% of his pass attempts, but he’s only thrown two touchdowns while tossing seven interceptions.

The last pass we saw him throw was picked by Noah Igbinoghene. That ended a late Steelers rally attempt versus the Miami Dolphins in Week 7. Pittsburgh has had a while to chew on that one, but it’s doubtful that they’ve fixed all of their offensive woes since we last saw them.

Pickett is fearless, but he has a tendency to gamble in hopes of turning in the big play. That will cost him versus Jonathan Gannon’s defense. We’re calling it now. Expect three turnovers in this one.

The Steelers’ offense is limited to less than 250 yards of total offense.

Philadelphia’s defense has been impressive all season, limiting more than their fair share of opposing offensive stars while taking the ball away to create more opportunities for their offensive teammates.

Every look at the Eagles’ defensive roster and what we’ve seen from the Steelers on offense keeps leading us to the same theory. Pickett is going to have another tough day.

Pittsburgh’s offense is wildly inconsistent, and if they can’t get what they hoped they’d enjoy from Najee Harris on the ground, it’s going to be another long day. Expect the Eagles’ defense to be a huge discussion piece at this game’s end as it’s becoming increasingly difficult to determine where the Steelers are going to get points from.

The Eagles’ defense pitches a fourth-quarter shutout as Philadelphia wins by two scores.

The Steelers have scored 41 points during the second half of games this season and another three points in overtime thanks to a Week 1 triumph over the defending AFC Champions, the Cincinnati Bengals.

That doesn’t sound that bad, but there’s another side to that coin. They’ve been outscored by a 72-41 margin in the second half. They were shut out in the third and fourth quarters by the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, and one might argue that Buffalo took their foot off of the gas in Week 5.

Philly, with an extra week to prepare should be ready for the struggling Steelers. Here’s a prediction of another sort. Kenny Pickett will be a great NFL quarterback, but it won’t be versus the Eagles in Week 8. The Eagles win this one by two scores, and they’re fueled by a fourth-quarter shutout by their defense. Final score: Eagles 27, Steelers 13