The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t won in Philadelphia since before Cameron Heyward’s father was born just 90 minutes northeast of Philadelphia. Now, the Steelers and Eagles haven’t played much since 1965, and they’ve played in Philadelphia even fewer times. But does playing in the City of Brotherly Love resonate with the Inser family? Are they threatened?
“Hey, this is the AFC North. It’s always hostile.” Cameron Hayward said with a smile. When asked about having to play the Eagles in Philadelphia. “We’re used to playing in a hostile environment, so that’s never a factor. But Philadelphia has a lot of really good players.”
In case you haven’t noticed, Steelers players, their families, and fans are not popular in the AFC North. This is also true if all other teams in the division intersect in any of the other division cities. Browns OL Wyatt Teller’s wife just got a welcome to the NFL moment last Sunday, but it’s been going on for decades.
So, no, I don’t think it’s a disadvantage for the Steelers to have to play in Philadelphia. For example, there are more challenging road venues to play in, like Arrowhead Stadium. And it’s not easy for opposing teams to play in Pittsburgh either. After all, home field advantage is ideally an advantage.
The bigger problem is simply that when the Steelers visit Philadelphia, the Eagles usually have a better football team. That’s the simplest explanation for the 10-game road losing streak in interstate play. Mike Tomlin wouldn’t mind hosting this at Breezewood.
Tomlin specifically has played against the Eagles three times in Philadelphia. The Steelers scored a total of 22 points in those three games. Over the past two games, the Eagles have scored 69 points, which is nearly even. But Bill Cowher also went winless in his career in Philadelphia. And the Steelers never won there with Chuck Noll either.
Of course, these stats aren’t always that impressive when you remember the relative lack of games played between the interconference rivals. We may not get to see the Steelers and Eagles play in a certain location for eight or 12 years at a time.
For example, from 1979 to 1991, there were no Steelers-Eagles games in Philadelphia. But even the team that went 12-4 in the 1979 Super Bowl lost 17-14 in Philadelphia. Eagles QB Ron Jaworski didn’t even throw a touchdown and had two interceptions.
Streaks always end at some point. But it wouldn’t be surprising if the Steelers’ losing streak against the Eagles in Philadelphia doesn’t end this week. The Eagles are a great team on a nine-game winning streak and are a healthier team. Losing isn’t a curse, it’s just a high probability. But that will give us another talking point eight years from now.
