Here come the unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers, crossing Pennsylvania to meet intrastate rival the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles.
They play only every four years, but how cool is it that each is 2-0 and looking strong when they meet in the NFL on Sunday?
Even without star running back Le’Veon Bell and emerging receiver Martavis Bryant – Bell finishes his three-game league suspension this weekend, while Bryant is suspended for the entire season – Pittsburgh’s offense has hummed. DeAngelo Williams leads the NFL in rushing in his 11th pro season, Antonio Brown is the game’s most dangerous wideout, and Ben Roethlisberger is making big plays.
”They don’t ask for a birth certificate before the game,” Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz says of the 33-year-old Williams.
”They don’t give you nine yards (to gain a first down) if you are over 30. You’ve still got to get 10. He’s a patient runner, he’s compact, and he’s strong. He can test every area of your run gaps.”
The Steelers don’t have many run gaps; their rush defense ranks second. So the Eagles might need to rely once more on rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. He’s drawn comparisons to Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, and Roethlisberger for being so impressive in the first two games, but they were wins over Cleveland and Chicago, and Pittsburgh isn’t anything like those two bottom-feeders.
Roethlisberger, who started off 13-0 in his rookie season in 2004, shares an agent with Wentz, and likes what he sees.
”He’s doing a really good job of just kind of letting the game come to him,” Big Ben says of Wentz. ”He’s not forcing it. You see him throwing balls away and not trying to make too many crazy throws down the field, and using his legs when needed.”
On Monday, there’s a rematch of the biggest regular-season game in New Orleans Saints history, their return to the Superdome after being displaced for the entire 2005 season by Hurricane Katrina.
A blocked punt by Steve Gleason – there’s a statue outside the stadium honoring it – sparked a 2006 win over Atlanta, and the Saints wound up in the playoffs. The Falcons are back for the 10th anniversary.
”There’s a lot of symbolism in that game,” Saints coach Sean Payton says. ”That idea of rebirth. … You have this event that coincides with the reopening of an arena that was used to shelter people. There were a ton of things that were somewhat unreal about it. … Obviously that was an emotional night, and it was loud.”
Only a handful of players remain from the 2006 Saints squad, and their motivation is different. Back then they were playing for fans struggling through disaster recovery. Current realities are different, says veteran right tackle Zach Strief, who was a rookie when the dome reopened. This team is winless, and ”guys are tired of losing, and there’s a lot of prideful people in here.”
The Denver Broncos hit the road for the first time, and they’ll be hitting anything that moves in a Cincinnati Bengals uniform. Denver’s defense is hellacious once more, especially against the pass, ranking second. Super Bowl MVP Von Miller already has four sacks.
On the other side, Cincinnati is dead last in rushing defense, and Broncos running back C.J. Anderson leads the NFL with seven runs of at least 10 yards.
Cincinnati opened with two road contests and now tries to get its running game in gear at home. Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard have combined for less than 100 yards rushing in the first two games.
The San Francisco 49ers haven’t won in Seattle since late in the 2011 season. But Blaine Gabbert has thrown a touchdown pass in 12 straight games, and has found two unexpectedly proficient targets in tight end Vance McDonald and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley. Kerley leads the team with 10 receptions, and McDonald has caught two of the 49ers’ three touchdown passes.
Seattle can’t find its offense and has some hobbled players in running back Thomas Rawls (shin), receiver Doug Baldwin (knee) and receiver Tyler Lockett (knee). All are expected to play, and Rawls rushed for 209 yards and a touchdown in the previous game vs. the 49ers.
The action began late Thursday with New England’s 27-0 home victory over Houston, the Patriots’ first shutout win since 2012, and the first time the Texans have been shutout since 2003. Jacoby Brissett became the first rookie quarterback to start for New England since Drew Bledsoe in 1993.
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