Pittsburgh Steelers: Studs and duds from Week 5 vs. Eagles
By Samuel Teets
Stud: Pass rush
Pass rushers went crazy on Sunday. The Los Angeles Rams stacked up eight sacks against Washington while Baltimore dragged down Joe Burrow seven times. The Steelers had their fair share of success, sacking Wentz five times and piling up 11 quarterback hits. Stephon Tuitt and T.J. Watt led the team with three quarterback hits apiece.
Pittsburgh’s pass rush is the NFL’s best dating back to Watt’s rookie season. It’s experiencing great success this year, trying to lead the league in sacks for the fourth consecutive season. Tuitt is pacing a career-high 14 sacks while Bud Dupree is one track for 12. Watt currently leads the team with 4.5 sacks.
Dud: Rushing attack
Despite all of their flaws, the Eagles have a great defensive line. Predictably, the Steelers struggled running against Fletcher Cox and company. Pittsburgh finished with 136 rushing yards, but 58 of those came on a single sneaky play by Clemson’s Ray-Ray McCloud. Subtracting the wide receiver’s best run leaves Tomlin’s team with only 78 yards on the ground.
This selection might seem like nit-picking, but it’s important. Through the first four weeks, Baltimore and Cleveland had top-ten run defenses.
Next. New York Jets: Studs and duds Week 5 vs. Arizona Cardinals. dark
The Steelers also face Buffalo and Indianapolis during the regular season, and those teams ranked eighth and fourth in run defense through Week 4. Pittsburgh can’t become one-dimensional against the league’s best-run defenses.