This week the Eagles host the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field in a game some might be surprised to be find the Eagles are favored in. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talked this week about the prospect of coming to Philly to face the Eagles.
"You respect that team and you respect those fans because of the passion they have," Tomlin said of the test the 2-0 Steelers face this week. "It creates a challenging situation, one that I hope we are ready for, but one that is also very exciting. I like going to Philly. It’s a tough place."
Tomlin also revealed who the Steelers need to stop if they want to beat the Eagles this Sunday.
"We have to go on the road again into another hostile environment in Philadelphia," Tomlin said. "If you watched a little bit of television (Monday) night, you see what the guy in the center is capable of. It starts with him when you talk about Philadelphia."
That guy is of course #5, Donovan McNabb. Our pals over at the Steelers blog Behind the Steel Curtain say that McNabb and the Eagles offense will be the Steelers first major test of the year.
In that same article, I came across a surprising stat about how the Steelers have fared playing in Philadelphia.
In their last seven trips to Philadelphia, the Steelers are 0-7. They haven’t won there since 1965. And the early line this week lists the Steelers as three-point underdogs.
I'm not sure how much this stat means since the Steelers haven't visited Philly in the regular season since the Linc has been built... but it was interesting nonetheless.