Bob Labriola with his thoughts on "what went right, wrong" vs. Philadelphia.
What went right
* Jordan Berry's first punt traveled 51 yards and was returned to the Steelers 47-yard line, but an illegal block penalty on Blake Countess nullified the return and had the Eagles start their first possession at their own 5-yard line.
- One week after the Steelers defense was awful on third downs, the unit got off the field in the first such situation against the Eagles. A quick pass to Josh Huff on third-and-8 came up 3 yards short of the first down marker thanks to Robert Golden and Sean Davis.
- Good use of the challenge flag by Coach Mike Tomlin with 4:31 remaining in the second quarter with the Eagles holding a 7-0 lead. It was a sideline pass to Sammie Coates, who made the catch and got both of his feet down in bounds for a 24-yard gain. Initially ruled incomplete, the call was overturned, and the Steelers had a first down at the Eagles 31-yard line.
- It was a third-and-2 at the Pittsburgh 32-yard line midway through the fourth quarter. Cedric O'Neal took a handoff from Chase Daniel, but before he could get started, Tyler Matakevich shot through a gap in the line of scrimmage and dumped him for a 3-yard loss. The Eagles punted.
- The Steelers had made a number of attempts to get the ball down the field, but it wasn't until 7:49 was left in the fourth quarter that it was successful. Dustin Vaughan threw the ball down the left sideline, where Landry Jones made a one-handed catch for a 29-yard gain that converted a third-and-10 and gave the Steelers the ball at their own 36-yard line.
What went wrong
* On the first play of the Steelers' second offensive possession, Landry Jones tried to get the ball to Sammie Coates only to have it intercepted by Nolan Carroll and returned 38 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 9:18 left in the first quarter.
- It was a nice drive, only to be ruined by another turnover, this one an interception by Malcolm Jenkins in the end zone. On the drive that covered 71 yards, the Steelers were 2-for-2 on third downs, the offense was able to overcome an offensive interference penalty that created a first-and-20, and Landry Jones completed 5-of-7 before that fateful third-and-3 from the Eagles 8-yard line. Jones threw a fade to WR Cobi Hamilton, but the ball bounced off him and CB Leodis McKelvin before Jenkins corralled the carom for the interception.
- It was another attempt to get the ball to Sammie Coates, and it resulted in another interception – his third of the first half – for Landry Jones. After driving the offense 60 yards down the field to a first-and-10 from the Philadelphia 20-yard line, Jones attempted to get the ball to Coates, who was running a route toward the back right corner of the end zone. Off target, the bass was intercepted by Aaron Grymes 9 yards deep in the end zone.
- The fourth interception of the first half came in the final 40 seconds. Trying to get the ball deep down the middle of the field to Eli Rogers, Landry Jones had his arm hit by DE Steven Means, and the ball came down far short of the target. Safety Jalen Watkins intercepted at the Philadelphia 40-yard line.
- The second half didn't get off to a good start for the Steelers on either defense or offense. After receiving the second half kickoff, backup quarterback Chase Daniel drove the Eagles 87 yards on 15 plays for the touchdown that upped Philadelphia's lead to 17-0. After the ensuing kickoff, the Steelers offense – now quarterbacked by Dustin Vaughan – went three-and-out.
