The Pittsburgh Steelers will visit the Philadelphia Eagles in a tough test in Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season. In this playoff simulcast, head coach Mike Tomlin will pay special attention to the level of MVP candidate Saquon Barkley.
The Eagles have an 11-2 record and are riding a nine-game winning streak that includes an in-form Barkley. The Philadelphia franchise star is one of the possible non-quarterback players to be positioned as a candidate to win the MVP award. The last running back to do so was Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings in 2012.
The context demands a lot of respect from the Steelers, something that was made clear by Tomlin. In his Tuesday press conference, the Steelers head coach dedicated a surprising statement to the Eagles running back. Barkley is more than a key weapon coming off 20 carries for 124 yards in the last game against the Carolina Panthers.
Mike Tomlin’s reaction to Barkley’s level in the 2024 NFL season
“The acquisition of Saquon Barkley has to be the most important acquisition in the NFL in 2024. It’s been dominant, at times eye-opening. If you don’t minimize it in some way, you’re not even positioning yourself to have a chance to be successful. And so, obviously, he’s got a lot of our attention at the beginning of the week, but he can’t have all of your attention,” Tomlin admitted of MVP candidate Barkley at a press conference.
Tomlin also had a few words for quarterback Jalen Hurts
The Steelers‘ head coach, in addition to valuing Barkley’s level, added Jalen Hurts in his statements to the press as one of those opponents to respect. “Jalen Hurts is a top-notch quarterback, decision maker, leader, passer, escape artist. You name it, he’s capable of doing it. And so, we have the challenge of working to minimize both guys and making the schematic decisions associated with what’s required to do so,” Tomlin said of the Eagles quarterback.
Tomlin’s praise for former 2018 Pro-Bowl selection Barkley is striking due to the rational character of the Steelers coach, who in this case decided to express his respect for the Eagles’ stars, such as Hurts. Pittsburgh will visit Philadelphia with the goal of winning there, something the franchise has not accomplished since 1965.
Tomlin talked about Steelers’ losing streak in Philadelphia
The Steelers have lost their last ten straight visits to Philadelphia, prompting a curious comment from Tomlin, who jokingly suggested a change of venue. “I’m really excited about this game, we could play it at Breezewood. They’re a really good team. They don’t need my support. They’ve won nine games in a row. If you look at the tapes, you can see exactly why,” Tomlin said. The Eagles haven’t lost since September 29, when they fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-16.