While the Philadelphia Eagles are widely considered the favorites to emerge from Week 15 with a new spot in their win column, that could all change if the Pittsburgh Steelers start feverishly recovering passes and forcing fumbles, what they do better than everyone else. NFL team.
Currently first in NFL in turnover differentialThe Steelers have taken advantage of their opponents’ recklessness all season long, but can the Eagles avoid a similar fate? Well, head coach Nick Sirianni is certainly aware of that as, during his media session on Friday, he destroyed all the talents The Steelers have the defensive side of the ball and how they use it to gain extra possessions on the offensive side of the ball.
“[Steelers LB T.J. Watt] No. 90. No. 90 is exceptional. You can see how he plays and his ability to recover the quarterback, get back to the quarterback and always have that ball in his head. My experience is when you have a guy who is a ball hawk like him, he goes all the way,” Sirianni told reporters.
“And [Steelers S] Minkah Fitzpatrick is also in the back. These guys have the opportunity to learn from him, so you can see [Steelers LB Nick] Herbig plays this way, [Steelers LB Alex] Highsmith plays this way. So they do a really good job of tackling the quarterback and keeping the ball in mind when that happens. So we have to counter that, and we will have to do it in different ways. We will have to have a good match because they are good players.
Interesting stuff, right? But wait, it gets better, as Sirianni noted that he learned an interesting insight into Seeler culture from watching their recent appearance on Hard knocks: in season with the AFC North.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni impressed with Steelers culture
Related Philadelphia Eagles NewsArticle continues below
Discussing the Steelers in more detail, Sirianni noted that after watching the team on Hard knockshe has gained new respect for the team, as he thinks they are good from top to bottom.
“I think I said it earlier in the week – you could say it’s part of their culture. You can say [Steelers Head] Coach [Mike] Tomlin talks about it a lot. I guess you see it a little bit in the episodes of Hard Knocks when he talks about it,” Sirianni told reporters. “It’s a benefit to be able to see some of these things. But [I’ve] I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin and his team and his consistency throughout his career. It’s very impressive. It doesn’t happen without a good culture, good players, good coaches.
After going 18 straight seasons without a sub-500 record, Tomlin has truly built something special in Pittsburgh, with his players all working together without having to worry about turnover at the top. If that comfort has allowed the Steelers to play freely and compete for balls, then it’s really no wonder the Steelers lead the league in turnover differential or the Eagles will have to play exceptional football to stay ahead of Pittsburgh’s two-way attack.
