For the second straight game, it was the defense that lead the way for the Philadelphia Eagles en rout to a 17-0 shutout over the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night at Heinz Field.
With backup quarterback Landry Jones behind center for the Steelers (0-2), Jim Schwartz's defense picked him apart, recording four interceptions in the first half including a 38-yard pick-six for cornerback Nolan Carroll with 9:18 left in the opening quarter.
Carroll's INT would not be the only one of the opening quarter, with a pass from Jones getting deflected up into the air by cornerback Leodis McKelvin and into the hands of safety Malcolm Jenkins in the end zone.
The third and fourth interceptions of the half came just one minute, 47 seconds apart. With 2:33 left, Jones looked to get Pittsburgh on the board with another shot towards the end zone, but cornerback Aaron Grymes was there to make a leaping catch and secure another turnover. Safety Jaylen Watkins got in on the action with an interception of his own with 46 seconds before halftime, setting up an Eagles (2-0) drive that culminated with a 40-yard field goal from Cody Parkey.
Despite the four turnovers, Schwartz won't be happy that two of the interceptions came during drives that reached 72 and 60 yards before coming to an end. Philadelphia now has nine takeaways through the last six quarters, and held the Steelers to just 46 yards in the second half.
Offensively, the Eagles were not able to get much going against a Steelers defense that mostly consisted of backups. Quarterback Sam Bradford played the entire first half, going 14-for-19 with 115 yards before being replaced by Chase Daniel. Daniel had a much better outing this time around, completing 10 of 16 passes for 82 yards.
The sole offensive touchdown for Philly came on its first drive out of halftime, a 15 play, 87-yard drive that was finished off with a 5-yard touchdown run from running back Kenjon Barner. Barner led the Eagles backfield with 41 yards and a TD on six carries.
Philadelphia will head to Indianapolis next for a contest against the Colts on August 27 as it looks to move to 3-0 in the preseason.
Notes:
- Eagles rookie wide receiver Paul Turner continued to make strides towards being named on the 53-man final roster, making three catches for a team-high 44 yards, one of which was a ridiculous one-handed grab in the third quarter for a 23 yard gain.
- The Steelers were without three key starters on offense: quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wide receiver Antonio Brown, and running back Leveon Bell, who just had his 4-game suspension reduced to three.
- Kicker Caleb Sturgis did not play after suffering a concussion when he was hit in the head by a punt during warmups.
- Eagles rookie linebacker Joe Walker left the game after suffering a torn ACL.
