This week's Classic Jurassic Meat-Eater Matchup takes us to the trenches of Philadelphia, a place the Steelers haven't won in since 1965, going 0-10 over that span.
Trying to choose one meat-eater when there's a duo of them creates a problem. Overlooking either would be a major problem for the Steelers, but the focus is going to be on the 3-tech, Jalen Carter, with a nod of the noggin to former Georgia teammate, and present-day Eagles teammate, Jordan Davis.
Standing 6-foot-3, and weighing in at 314-pounds, Carter is a twitchy, blast-out-of-his stance rocket man at the point of attack. He will greet you with good hand placement, a low pad level, and a nasty disposition.
Carter has the strength and ability to hold the point and also does a nice job of using his hip and hindquarters to wedge into the double team and either stuff or split it.
When it comes time to rush the passer, Carter has a nice arm-over swim technique. He will use that, along with a powerful uppercut, which he uses to rush hard on the outer third of a man, rather than going down the middle. Despite his tremendous quicks and power, that eats up precious time when you're on the QB hunt.
Likewise, when Carter needs to blow up the B gap, or any gap, for that matter, using a low charge and heavy uppercut, he will use that to rip through the outer shoulder of his opponent. Trying to stop him is like trying to slow down a rhino roaring through the wicker chair department at a local IKEA.
Though he will line up most often as a 3-tech over the right guard, in this case Mason McCormick, he can be found snorting and rip-roaring at nose tackle, as well. He's quick enough to be the penetrator on stunts and fast enough to be the trailer.
Carter has 4.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 15 QB hits. He excels in all aspects of close-quarter, hand-to-hand combat in the trenches.
Carter reminds me of another great Eagles defensive linemen I played against years ago, who played just 5-years before he tragically passed away. That would be Jerome Brown. Explosive and strong, he bagged 29.5 sacks in 76 games. When he lined up with the great Reggie White, they were a dangerous duo on the inside.
That is just like Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, who the Steelers will see on Sunday. Funny how history seems to repeat itself.
