The 10-3 Pittsburgh Steelers take on the 11-2 Philadelphia Eagles on the road this week in a battle for Pennsylvania. Ahead of the game, I spoke with Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation to preview the matchup.

You can read my questions and his answers below:

The Eagles have an embarrassment of riches on offense, but there still seem to be some questions regarding the group, especially the play and leadership of quarterback Jalen Hurts. As someone who covers the Eagles, what’s your perspective on that?

Following a game where the Eagles won their ninth straight to advance to 11-2 and where Saquon Barkley broke the franchise single-season rushing record, all the discourse is about the team’s struggling passing attack. And it’s not just like it’s an external talking point. Several players — most notably A.J. Brown — admitted the team’s passing attack needs to be better. And they’re right! It does. Logging just 83 net passing yards against the Carolina Panthers is pretty unacceptable.

The reality is that the Eagles have scaled back on Jalen Hurts throwing the football since their Week 5 bye. Averaging 33 attempts over his first four games, he logged six total touchdowns, seven giveaways, and an 85.7 passer rating. Averaging 21.4 attempts over his last nine games, he’s produced 23 total touchdowns, two giveaways, and a 113.7 passer rating. As you can see, he’s clearly been better as a lower volume passer. And that’s obviously been a winning formula for the Eagles.

But the Eagles’ margin for error shrinks if the passing game isn’t as viable as it reasonably should be. The Eagles arguably have the best offensive line in the NFL and the best wide receiver duo in the NFL. They have enough resources to rank higher than 17th in passing DVOA.

Hurts is capable of playing better than he did against the Panthers; we’ve previously seen him have success carrying the team with his arm. And the passing struggles aren’t entirely on him. But he’s certainly playing a significant role in them.

Speaking during his Wednesday press conference, Hurts said he “[tends] to thrive in moments like this” when people are doubting him and his abilities. He’s right and I know that from first-hand experience. But it’s time for him to back up his words with action once again.

Philadelphia has had to place two important starters, tight end Dallas Goedert and defensive end Brandon Graham, on injured reserve in recent weeks. How has that affected the team?

DALLAS GOEDERT — This is hardly the first time the Eagles have had to operate without Goedert. He missed three games earlier this season and he previously sat out multi-game stretches in 2023 and 2022. With Goedert on IR, the Eagles currently have three tight ends on their roster: Grant Calcaterra, C.J. Uzomah, and E.J. Jenkins. Calcaterra, normally TE, has been elevated to the starting role. He can provide some value as a pass-catcher but he’s not known for his blocking ability. He’s relatively solid but unspectacular. Uzomah, who I’m sure Steelers fans remember from his time with the Cincinnati Bengals, is basically just a run-blocking tight end. Jenkins hasn’t played much as TE3 but he’s more of a pass-catcher type.

BRANDON GRAHAM — Losing Graham to a season-ending injury was a really big deal. And not just because he’s the heart of the team … but because he was playing at a really high level! Graham was excellent as both a run defender and as a pass rusher. Whereas the Eagles were using a four-man edge rotation when they had him, they’ve mostly shortened it down to three players in the two games since he went on injured reserve. Josh Sweat has had a good bounce-back season but he’s been kept on a relatively strict snap count since he faded late last year after playing a lot earlier on. Nolan Smith has made a leap from Year 1 to Year 2 but he still needs to improve. Rookie Jalyx Hunt wasn’t really expected to play much this year but injuries have forced him into playing time. The Eagles recently added Charles Harris to their rotation but he hasn’t been trusted to play more than a few snaps. The Eagles looked like they were missing Graham in Week 14 when Chuba Hubbard was able to grind out consistent yardage on the ground and Bryce Young had a lot of time to throw.

The Eagles pass defense has given up the second-least yards per game this season, and that’s with two rookies starting at cornerback. How have Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean played so far in 2024, and are there any weaknesses the Steelers can exploit, even without George Pickens?

QUIYNON MITCHELL — Mitchell’s looked like the real deal dating back to offseason practices. He deserves to be in Defensive Rookie of the Year contention, though it seems like Jared Verse will get the nod over him. Mitchell’s hardly looked like a rookie. He’s allowed just a 77.6 passer rating when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus. Mitchell’s yet to log an interception but he ranks tied for seventh among cornerbacks in pass breakups with eight. He’s often been really sticky in coverage. It’s been to the point where teams have not been eager to test him. Mitchell has the makings of a really good corner. He hasn’t really had any weaknesses on display, aside from an occasional missed tackle.

COOPER DEJEAN — DeJean is coming off his worst game of the season. The savvy route-running Adam Thielen got the best of him in Week 14. Prior to that, DeJean hadn’t really looked like a rookie. He’s still allowing just a 83.4 passer rating when targeted this season. At his best, DeJean has a knack for making big plays. He has five pass breakups and he’s a really good open field tackler. Look no further than when he picked up and body slammed Derrick Henry in the Eagles’ Week 13 win in Baltimore. DeJean’s also provided some juice while filling in for Britain Covey as the Eagles’ punt returner.

The Eagles’ fantastic offensive line versus the Steelers’ star-studded front seven: It’s strength against strength. Who do you think wins that matchup?

Great question.

I’d be a real Fency Fencerton by saying both sides will have their fair share of wins. That’s no fun.

So, I’ll take a side and say it’ll be the Eagles who win up front. They currently have PFF’s top-graded offensive line. I have a lot of respect for T.J. Watt and the Steelers pass rush. But if there’s one tackle who might be able to limit the damage that Watt can do, it could be Lane Johnson, who’s elite in his own right. The Steelers would be wise to move Watt around instead of just having him rush against Johnson all game long. At left tackle, Jordan Mailata is PFF’s highest-graded player in the entire NFL. He’s arguably playing the best football of his career at the moment. Mailata and Johnson have earned the benefit of the doubt at this point in time. And they’re both able to have success without getting extra help.

The Steelers might be able to have some more success on the interior. Landon Dickerson is a really good guard and Mekhi Becton has made a successful transition after previously playing tackle. But Becton’s been better as a run blocker than he has in pass protection. Ditto for Cam Jurgens, who’s taken over for Jason Kelce. Could be a big game for the seemingly timeless Cam Heyward.

The Eagles are a 5.5-point favorite against the Steelers, and Pittsburgh hasn’t won in Philadelphia since 1965 — what’s your score prediction for the game, and why?

Barring a tie, one of these two things will happen on Sunday:

1 – The Eagles will beat Russell Wilson for the first time EVER. They’re currently 0-6 against him.

2 – The Steelers will win in Philly for the first time in nearly 60 years, as you highlighted.

So, I guess it’s cool that history will be made either way. Though I’d say the first option is slightly more preferable.

On one hand, I like the Eagles this week. I think Hurts and company could rally together following the frustrations leaving Week 14. The Steelers potentially not having George Pickens seems like a big deal.

On the other hand, Wilson typically tortures the Eagles and it’s hard to totally trust the Eagles’ offense right now. If the Steelers are able to limit Saquon Barkley (much more easily said than done), I don’t know that the Eagles’ passing game can be trusted to carry their weight.

There’s also the fact that the Steelers have the best record straight up and against the spread as underdogs since Mike Tomlin was hired.

I’ll say the Eagles win this game on a last-second field goal by Jake Elliott, who’s struggled this season. He gets some redemption and the Eagles win but fail to cover the spread in the Battle of Pennsylvania.

Eagles 23, Steelers 20.