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Eagles vs Steelers: Local and national predictions and picks for Week 8 matchup

The Eagles and Steelers will square off in a cross-state match between two teams having very different seasons. Will the Birds be able to stay unbeaten?

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) greets his teammates as they take to the field to play the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. on Sunday, October 16, 2022.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) greets his teammates as they take to the field to play the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. on Sunday, October 16, 2022.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

All eyes in Philadelphia are likely turned to Houston this weekend for the Phillies’ first two World Series games against the Astros — don’t worry, Eagles fans, your time in Houston is coming soon enough — but the sports scheduling gods graciously gave Philly a day off from baseball Sunday to focus on the team that usually runs the show this time of year: the Birds.

They’ll host cross-state rival the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Linc on Sunday at 1 p.m., and according to FanDuel, the Eagles are a 10.5-point favorite over the 2-5 team from the other side of the state. The experts seem to agree, picking the Eagles in fairly overwhelming fashion.

As we do every week, let’s take a look around the nation — and our own backyard — to see who is picking the Eagles to remain unbeaten this weekend.

» READ MORE: The Eagles can take inspiration from the 2022 Phillies and the 1972 Dolphins in their pursuit of perfection

Inquirer beat writer predictions

For the second game in a row, all three Inquirer writers are in agreement over how this one will play out. The only difference? Just how many points the Eagles will win by ...

While the Eagles match up well with the Steelers’ biggest strength, they match up even better against their biggest weakness. Whether it’s been [Kenny] Pickett or [Mitch] Trubisky before him, Pittsburgh’s offensive front has struggled this season. The group ranks 29th in pass-rush win rate, which measures how often the line gives its quarterback at least 2.5 seconds to throw. Especially with Quinn now in the fold, this could be a big afternoon for the Eagles’ pass rush.
There are some valid reasons to believe the Eagles could come out a bit flat. They’re emerging from the bye week with a short week looming against the Houston Texans. Even if they don’t bring their A-game, though, they should be able to handle the 2-5 Steelers.
Prediction: Eagles 21, Steelers 10
EJ Smith

For the rest of EJ’s prediction and a look at how Jeff McLane and Josh Tolentino see this one playing out, check out their full predictions here.

National media predictions

Here’s a look at what those around the country have to say about this week’s Eagles-Steelers game ...

· ESPN.com: Six of their seven experts are predicting an Eagles win on Sunday.

· NFL.com: Gregg Rosenthal, who has been picking the Birds quite a bit this season is continuing that trend in Week 8.

· CBS Sports: It’s a clean sweep, with all eight of their experts picking the Eagles over the Steelers. But when it comes to covering the 10.5-point spread, only half think the Birds will accomplish that feat.

» READ MORE: Eagles hope Miles Sanders keeps ‘making big plays on top of big plays’ vs. his hometown Steelers

· Sports Illustrated: All five of the MMQB’s football writers are picking the Eagles to knock off the Steelers.

· Yahoo! Sports: Frank Schwab only picks against the spread. He is giving this one to the Steelers (and their 10.5-point advantage there), but he didn’t even feel comfortable with that pick, so we think we can infer who he has winning straight up.

· The Ringer: The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia also only makes picks against the spread. And this week, like Schwab, he’s taking Pittsburgh to cover.

· The Athletic: Nine out of their 10 experts are picking the Eagles over the Steelers.

· USA TODAY: All six of USA Today’s football writers are predicting the Eagles win.

» READ MORE: ‘It’s scary, man’: Robert Quinn provides the Eagles with yet another weapon for their Super Bowl chase

· Pro Football Talk: Both Mike Florio and Michael David Smith see the Eagles winning this one comfortably.

· Bleacher Report: While not everyone thinks the Eagles will cover, the consensus from their staff is a fairly comfortable win for the Eagles.

Local media predictions

Who knows a team better than the writers who follow them day in and day out? Let’s take a look at who the local writers for both teams are predicting ...

· Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Even Gerry Dulac at the Post-Gazette is picking the Eagles to take care of business at home.

· PhillyVoice: Jimmy Kempski at PhillyVoice is picking the Eagles to win and cover on Sunday.

· Bleeding Green Nation: All six experts at BGN are predicting the Eagles win.

· NJ.com: All four of their writers are going with the undefeated Birds on Sunday.