After avenging their Week 12 loss to Cleveland last week, Pittsburgh heads across Pennsylvania to meet the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles enter this week following a win, perhaps a less optimistic one, though. Their tight 22-16 victory over a struggling Carolina leaves some question marks regarding their current state of play.

One of the only all-time records to be dominated by an opposing side, the Eagles lead Pittsburgh by way of a 49-29-3 record. With just seven regular-season meetings since the year 2000, these cross-state rivals meeting is a unique opportunity. While the Eagles dominate the overall record, since 2000, they have a narrow edge over Pittsburgh, winning four of the seven. In 2022, the Eagles embarrassed the Steelers, beating them 35-13 in Philadelphia.

The Eagles have had a near-flawless season this year, appearing as Super Bowl contenders once again. The offseason acquisition of Saquon Barkley transformed the offense and has allowed them to open up the field more than potentially any other team in the league. Barkley’s record-breaking rush yards pace should not overshadow the rest of the talent on that offense. With players like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jalen Hurts at quarterback, this team is incredibly dangerous.

The Steelers’ start to AFC North ball has been applaudable, and for that, they now get a one-week break against one of the best teams in the NFL. Everyone knew coming into this season the gauntlet that Pittsburgh had to close out 2024, and it has certainly arrived. Regardless, Russell Wilson is now 6-1 as the starting quarterback and is showing no signs of slowing down for anyone.

Pittsburgh continues to narrowly miss having a fully healthy roster as it appears WR George Pickens will miss his second week of action in a row with a hamstring injury. Along with Pickens, S DeShon Elliott did not participate in Wednesday’s practice as he too, labors an apparent hamstring issue. Finally, good and bad news for Steelers DTs as Montravius Adams and Larry Ogunjobi both appear in this week’s report. Adams is back to being a full participant and will likely go this weekend at the heels of his knee injury. The Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, on the other hand, did not participate on Wednesday or Thursday because of a groin injury.

A few big names on the Eagles Wednesday injury report as well. TE Dallas Goedert was recently placed on injured reserve and will miss his second straight week against Pittsburgh. QB Jalen Hurts (left finger) and LB Nakobe Dean (elbow) were full participants at practice and appear probable to play. Some prominent Eagles defenders appear to be banged up with CB Reed Blankenship (concussion) and DT Jalen Carter (shoulder) being limited on Wednesday.

With hefty lists of potential injuries, two Super Bowl contenders, and a whole lot of talent, this should be one of the most exciting contests in the NFL this week. So, here are some key storylines to follow as you gear up for kickoff.

Eagles’ locker room tension?

While they ride a nine-game win streak into this one, the Eagles are far from a perfect family right now. Following their somewhat disappointing victory against Carolina last week, wide receiver A.J. Brown was asked a question that prompted an eye-opening response.

Brown, clearly frustrated, voices his agitation with the passing game and why things are not working ideally for them. LB Brandon Graham also chimed in about Brown’s potential jab at Hurts saying that certain parts of their relationship appear different and that things may have changed. Fast forward to this week, Brown and Hurts have both said the two are perfectly fine and that nothing is going on. However, if frustrations continue to boil on Sundays, how long will this last?

Steelers’ abysmal cross-state play

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The year is 2024, it has now been 59 whole years since the Steelers won a game in Philadelphia. Yes, the last time the Steelers were victorious across the state was in 1965 when Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th president of the United States.

If the Steelers are to turn their fortunes around, they will be tasked with stopping an explosive Eagles offense, along with getting past a stingy defense. With the odds stacked against the Steelers, they will have to tough it out if they are to come back across Pennsylvania with a win.

What it all means

In what was once the most competitive division in football, is now the Eagles to lose. With a win against Pittsburgh, the Eagles would all but lock up the NFC East. If the Eagles take the W, the only way that would not occur, would be the Commanders winning out and the Eagles losing out.

The Steelers sit in a similar boat, a win over Philadelphia all but locks the division up for them. A win for the black and gold means Baltimore would have to win out, and the Steelers would have to lose out.

The fascinating thing about all this is both the Steelers and Eagles play the two teams on their heels next week. So, these two divisions could either be locked up this week, within the next two weeks, or neither.

With plenty of opportunity here, the team that wins this game will be the one playing with more desperation and desire. Who wants to go into a must-win divisional game when they can knock down a non-conference opponent the week before?

Score prediction: Steelers 21, Eagles 26