Countdown to 2020: The Eagles

Date: Oct. 11 Time: 1 p.m. Venue: Heinz Field All-Time Regular-Season Series: Eagles lead, 47-28-3. Philadelphia also leads the all-time postseason series, 1-0.Last Meeting: QB Carson Wentz completed 23 of 31 passes for 301 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 34-3 blowout of the Steelers on Sept. 25, 2016 at Lincoln Financial Field. Wentz wasn’t sacked or intercepted. The Steelers were out-gained, 426-251, and managed just 29 yards rushing on 10 attempts. The highlight for the home team was a 73-yard, catch-and-run connection from Wentz to RB Darren Sproles for a touchdown that gave the Eagles a 20-3 lead early in the third quarter.Last Season: The Eagles went 9-7 and finished first in the NFC East. Philadelphia ranked 14th in total offense (11th rushing, 11th passing) and 10th in total defense (third rushing, 19th passing). The Eagles lost an NFC Wild Card Game to the Seahawks, 17-9, in Philadelphia. Since Then: The Eagles’ high-profile acquisitions in the offseason included the drafting of TCU WR Jalen Reagor (first round, 21st overall), Boise State WR John Hightower (fifth round, 168th overall) and Southern Mississippi WR Quez Watkins (sixth round, 200th overall). Philadelphia also traded for WR Marquise Goodwin (49ers). The defense was addressed via the free-agent signings of DT Javon Hargrave (Steelers) and CB Nickell Robey-Coleman (Rams) and a trade for CB Darius Slay (Lions). S Malcolm Jenkins (New Orleans) departed via free agency.Headliners: Wentz threw 27 touchdown passes and was intercepted just seven times last season, his first with 16 regular-season starts since 2016. RB Miles Sanders rushed for 818 yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry as a rookie in 2019 (second round, Penn State). TE Zach Ertz had 88 catches for 916 yards and six TDs last season. The Eagles’ offense ranked No. 3 in the red zone (36 touchdowns on 54 possessions, 66.7 percent) in 2019.Stat That Matters: The wide receives the Eagles targeted most often last season, Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor, finished fourth and fifth on the team in receptions (Jeffery 43, Agholor 39) and receiving yards (Jeffery 490, Agholor 363). That explains all the off-season attention devoted to the wide receiver position. Memorable Meeting: The Steelers visited “The Linc” on Aug. 21, 2014 and dropped a preseason game to the Eagles, 31-21. The game itself was forgettable but the trip to Philly still turned out to be significant. It was there, during the playing of the national anthem that night, that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin first noticed one of the Eagles players, who was towering over his teammates on the sideline. That player turned out to be 6-foot-9, 320-pound then-defensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva. The Steelers were intrigued, to the degree that by 2015, Villanueva would be starting games at offensive tackle for the Steelers.