Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh (grass, outdoors)
When: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)
Spread: Steelers by 3.5
Forecast: Unseasonably chilly with a high of 49 degrees; 40 percent chance of rain.
Records: Eagles (Overall: 3-1, NFC East 1-0); Steelers (Overall: 1-2, AFC North 0-0).
Past results: Welcome to yet another edition in the strange association where these franchises once joined forces in 1943 to form the Steagles and were so intertwined in the Art Rooney Sr.-Bert Bell, World War II period that the Steelers began operating under the Eagles’ NFL charter. Series Record: The Eagles dominate, 46-26-3. When last they met, the Eagles buried Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, 15-6, in September 2008 at Lincoln Financial Field.
What matters: The Eagles are coming off the high of vanquishing the Super Bowl champion Giants, and the Steelers are following a week off after a brutal loss at Oakland, where they allowed the 0-2 Raiders to produce 13 fourth-quarter points to steal the victory. The Steelers play much better at home. They play much better against the NFC (winning 26 of their past 32 meetings). They play much better when cornered.
Who matters: Check out the Steelers’ injury report. For the first time in a calendar year, it is bereft of a starter. The names for Sunday are old standbys who, amazingly, had been doing little more than standing by idly the past two games (safety Troy Polamalu, calf) and all preseason and season long to date (outside linebacker James Harrison, knee, and running back Rashard Mendenhall, ACL). That not only means the return of two of the past four NFL Defensive Players of the Year, but it provides the offense with another important cog -- if not for now, then later -- plus the team with the pervasive, positive feeling: The gang’s all here.
Key matchups: Polamalu and Harrison quickly will be challenged by quarterback Michael Vick , who proved elusive when he played against the Steelers with Atlanta, and running back LeSean McCoy , who played much of his Pitt career on this same field. The Steelers’ defense has been weak against the run, a bloated 101 yards per game, and soft overall. . . though without Polamalu, Harrison and, for the opener at Denver, Ryan Clark. Whittled down to one-on-one confrontations, the skirmishes that bear scrutiny include: receiver Jeremy Maclin vs. Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis; tight end Brent Celek vs. Polamalu and Clark; and McCoy vs. the previously soft middle of that Steelers defense. On the other side, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will stare down high-priced cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie .
Injuries of note: Here’s something that hasn’t been uttered about the Steelers since early 2011: none. The question remains, however, how ready to play are Harrison and Mendenhall after knee surgeries and relative football inactivity from winter to September? The educated guess remains that Mendenhall, after his procedure to repair an ACL tear from New Year’s Day, will require a few weeks to return to his normal state. So his action might be limited Sunday.
Inside stuff: Mendenhall’s return could provide a boost to a running game that ranks second-to-last in the NFL, a rare and surprising place for a franchise whose aura and tradition were built upon the run. Don’t look now, but they’re dead last in rushing yards per attempt. A paltry 2.6. Mendenhall, because of his lack of a spring, summer and exhibition season, doesn’t figure to get too many touches Sunday. So Isaac Redman will carry the bulk of the load, with Baron Batch and rookie Chris Rainey behind him. As Mike Tomlin put it, the Steelers must get better at the run Sunday.
Connections: While there’s a chance that former Missouri teammates Maclin and defensive end Ziggy Hood could literally run into one another on Heinz Field, perhaps the most interesting intersection are the coaching connections. Eagles assistant Duce Staley was a member of the Super Bowl XL-winning Steelers. And Eagles special teams coach Bobby April was the Steelers assistant who boldly called, and succeeded upon, an onsides kick in Super Bowl XXX. Oh, and Hall of Fame defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau got his first NFL job nearly 40 years ago with Philadelphia, as its special-teams coach from 1973-75.
Stat you should know: The Steelers with a victory would reach franchise triumph No. 100 against an NFC club, at 100-60-1 overall (57-19-1 at Heinz Field). . . The Eagles average only 16.5 points per game due to turnovers and penalties and mistakes. . . Roethlisberger possesses the highest passing rating by any NFL quarterback on third downs, 145.1. So maybe it means little if the Steelers cannot run the ball.
Record watch: Harrison needs one sack to tie defensive lineman Keith Willis (59) for the third-most by a Steelers player. . . Heath Miller needs two touchdowns to tie Elbie Nickel for the team record for a tight end. . . Mike Tomlin is looking to extend his record to 10-1 vs. NFC teams and 5-1 the week after a bye-week. . . About that Oakland loss: The Steelers haven't traveled west very well for years. They've lost 14 of their past 22 in a different time zone (5-8 Central, 2-3 Mountain, 1-3 Pacific).
Looking ahead: The Steelers have only four days to get ready before playing at old rival Tennessee on Thursday night. Philadelphia returns home to face the Detroit Lions.
Prediction: Steelers 23, Eagles 17
Follow Steelers reporter Chuck Finder on Twitter@CBSSteelersand@cfinder.
