I wrote an article last week stating that the Cleveland game at home felt like a must win situation, even if the math didn’t support that opinion. This week, against the Eagles, feels like the exact opposite, where it might be the most inconsequential matchup of the season. Why is that?

October 24, 1965. The head coach was Mike Nixon, and the quarterback was Bill Nelsen. This was the last time the Pittsburgh Steelers won in Philadelphia. They were 0-5 going into that game and emerged victorious with a score of 20-14. I’m going to be honest, this is the first time I’ve heard of any of these people. Cannonball Butler was the running back. I don’t know if he was a good player or not, but what a fantastic name for that position. I thought “The Bus” was nickname perfection, but I stand corrected.

The Steelers have gone on quite the run of success since that long ago day, despite never winning once in Philly. So, getting victories against the Eagles has never been a factor in post season or Super Bowl achievements. This season will be no different. Or will it?

The “playing chess instead of checkers” strategic approach to this game would be to almost treat it as if it were a preseason game. The Ravens just had a bye week and play at the Giants this Sunday…so that’s as close to two bye weeks in a row that a team can get. They should be well rested and ready to go when Pittsburgh comes to town next week one day early on Saturday. That game will absolutely be crucial in determining who wins the North and playoff seeding.

Playing the Eagles in Philly will most certainly not feel like a bye week. This will be like having to fight Clubber Lang and then Ivan Drago six days apart. For it to truly be sunny in Philadelphia come Sunday, leaving the stadium healthy would be a better outcome than with a win that comes at the cost of losing any more starters.

The problem is the Steelers aren’t built that way, and neither is the fan base. I can’t say that I am either. Back in the day when I was a boxing gym rat, I would tell myself it would just be a light sparring day, which would last until the first decent punch landed. Then my brain immediately flipped to this:

So, not to worry there, Herm, playing to win the game is in order, and the team will deal with next week when next week gets here. That also presents a good opportunity for the team. George Pickens will be out for a second straight week, and potentially could miss even more time. In a game against an NFC foe that really won’t have any postseason impact, this will be as good a time as any for Arthur Smith to root around deep in the bottom of the playbook bag and pull out all the weird or risky plays he hasn’t been able to try. Testing route concepts and play designs without the team’s best wide receiver this week could result in valuable lessons learned if the hamstring injury persists on this final push to the playoffs.

Winning in Philly would also set the tone heading into the crucial game against Baltimore that this Steelers team is built differently than past seasons. Plus, it would just be good to see. I’m tired of seeing the Steelers getting out-Steelered by the Eagles, and I’d love nothing more than to see them finally win the trenches in The Battle of Pennsylvania. It hasn’t been sunny in Philly for Pittsburgh in several decades now, and while leaving this game with a clean bill of health would be best, a win would be “Sweet-Dee” indeed.