A swarming D had nine sacks, forced a safety and got three turnovers, and the Eagles beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 15-6 Sunday.
Just six days earlier, Philly’s defense couldn’t stop anybody. The Dallas Cowboys moved the ball at will in a 41-37 victory last Monday.
But this unit was rejuvenated against the Steelers (2-1). Ben Roethlisberger had no time to throw and Willie Parker couldn’t find any room to run. Juqua Parker had 2½ sacks as the Eagles banged around Big Ben, eventually knocking him out of the game.
Clinging to a 10-6 lead, the Eagles pinned Pittsburgh at the 6 following a 54-yard punt by Sav Rocca. Three plays later, Roethlisberger was under heavy pressure when he threw the ball away in the end zone for a safety.
On Pittsburgh’s next possession, Brian Dawkins made a flying sack, swatting the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hand and recovering at the Steelers 18. David Akers kicked a 31-yard field goal to ice it.
Roethlisberger was replaced by Byron Leftwich when the Steelers got the ball with just over 2 minutes left. X-rays were negative on Roethlisberger’s injured right hand.
Westbrook injured his right ankle on the first play of the second quarter. The All-Pro running back appeared to get hurt while hurdling a teammate on a 2-yard run. He walked to the locker room without help, but didn’t return. His status isn’t known.
One play earlier, McNabb was visibly shaken up after getting sacked. He played the rest of the half and took a hard hit to the chest late in the second quarter. McNabb stayed in the locker room after the half, but returned during Philadelphia’s second series in the third quarter.
