It will be a battle of Pennsylvania on Sunday when the Philadelphia Eagles come to Heinz Field to take on the Steelers.
The Steelers head into the game with a 3-0 record, coming off an unexpected bye week, while the Eagles are 1-2-1 coming off their first win of the season, a 25-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
The Steelers will also be welcoming fans to the game for the first time this season, with 5,500 permitted to be in the lower seating bowl.
The Steelers have been talking about having fans all week, and the Eagles chimed in on it as well, in addition to talking about the Steelers defense, T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree, and more.
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Coach Doug Pederson on the Steelers defensive front:
"This is a really good veteran defensive front. To me it's probably the best one we have seen to date. It's going to be a really good challenge for our guys."
Carson Wentz on T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree:
"Both T.J. and Bud, high motor guys. Not just high motor guys, but very talented. They make life difficult on opposing quarterbacks. They do a great job in the running game. They just make it hard. They have a good defense. They fly around. They do things well. You can tell they are coached well. Those two defensive ends, outside linebackers, they make things tough. Those are two guys you have to be aware of."
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz on the Steelers offense:
"They challenge the whole field with the run game, with the pass game. You have obviously an experienced quarterback that is not afraid to throw balls into tight coverage. Trusts his receivers. You see that a lot. Got a lot of different playmakers at those wide receivers. They have got an experienced offensive line. There's a lot of things, but it's one of those teams that I think if you devote too many resources to take in any one player or one aspect of their offense away, they certainly have the capability to make you pay in other ways. So. it's going to take a good, solid team outing to play well on Sunday."
Pederson on the challenges tackle Jordan Mailata will face with T.J. Watt:
"This week with Watt and Bud Dupree, these guys are great edge pressure guys. They get after the passer and he'll have his hands full. It's going to take a solid week of preparation by all of our guys to be prepared for this defense."
Pederson on having fans at Heinz Field:
"Obviously it's positive. Having fans at Heinz Field is going to be great. It's going to be great for both teams, I think. As we've said, players feed off of that emotion and off of the crowd. Even though it's a small number, the voices will be heard, and guys are looking forward to doing that and playing in front of a few fans."
