The Steelers and Eagles meet in NFL Week 5, renewing an underrated rivalry.
The in-state rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers doesn’t always get the national attention it deserves. It’s not like the Bears and Packers rivalry that extends back to the early days of football or the Brady vs. Manning battles that featured two Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
What is at stake, however, is the bragging rights for in-state supremacy. In fact, this rivalry dates back to 1933. For 30 years, both teams competed in the NFL’s Eastern Division. In 1943, however, they merged together to become the Steagles at the height of World War II. But that was short-lived until they finally returned to their own ways.
There was a time where both teams were looking to lose more than the other. In 1968, both teams were having losing records while in a race to grab USC running back and future Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson.
Both sides failed to win the bid, of course, as Buffalo grabbed Simpson, though the Steelers meanwhile were able to land Hall of Famer Mean Joe Greene. The Eagles, meanwhile, ended up with Leroy Keyes.
It doesn’t happen often, but Steelers vs. Eagles always makes for a good game.
After the AFL and NFL merged in 1970, the teams have only met 12 times. While the Eagles lead the series between the teams 48-28-3, the Steelers have more Lombardi Trophies in their history with six. However, the Eagles are the most recent team between the two to have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy (2017).
Since 1999, both teams have been highly successful and have been blessed with franchise quarterbacks. Ben Roethlisberger has done well for the Steelers while the Eagles have been fortunate with both Donovan McNabb and Carson Wentz, though Nick Foles would be the one to lead Philadelphia to the top of the mountain.
When they meet in 2020, it will be their first matchup since 2017, a game then won by the Eagles 34-3 in Philadelphia. Prior to that, the last meeting was 2012 in Pittsburgh, won by the Steelers to the tune of 16-14.
The game will be held in Pittsburgh this season with the Steelers at 3-0 and the Eagles at 1-2-1. Truth be told, it’s probably best to throw the records out the window. When these two teams get together, it’s an in-state battle that bears watching.