Steelers Receive Disturbing Message From Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni About Hard Knocks Series: "It's An Advantage"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are having one of the best seasons the franchise has seen in some years, and the fan base gets to see it all happen from their couch, courtesy of HBO Max's Hard Knocks series. The in-season Hard Knocks show features each team from the AFC North this year, revealing to the rest of the world how each organization prepares on a weekly basis. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has certainly been a major spotlight of the series, however, it may start becoming beneficial to Pittsburgh's upcoming opponents. 

After getting their "get back" at home against the Cleveland Browns, Tomlin and the Steelers' next challenge will come on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles, where Pittsburgh hasn't won since 1965. Tomlin's defense will have to prepare for an offense loaded with talent, led by Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, and DeVonta Smith. Despite Philadelphia's nine-game winning streak, the Eagles seem to be an organization falling apart. Hurts and Brown have not been on the same page as of late, and Nick Sirianni makes some of the most questionable decisions as a head coach in the NFL. 

Nonetheless, Sirianni and the Eagles are an 11-2 football team that are preparing for a Pittsburgh team that's been featured a ton on Hard Knocks, which apparently gives Philadelphia an advantage. The Eagles' offense has worked hard to prevent turnovers this season, while Pittsburgh's defense has done a tremendous job of forcing them. Just days before kickoff, Sirianni gave his thoughts on Pittsburgh's ability to create defensive turnovers and his opponents being heavily surveilled throughout the second-half of the season. 

"You can tell that it's part of their culture. You can tell Coach Tomlin talks about it a lot," Sirianni said. "I guess you get to see it a little in the episodes of Hard Knocks when he talks about it. It's an advantage, you get to see some of those things."

Sirianni is more than likely referencing Tomlin's approach to Nick Herbig about attacking Orlando Brown Jr. and the Cincinnati Bengals a couple of weeks ago. Tomlin expected a big game out of Herbig with Alex Highsmith remaining sidelined for one more game, and sure enough, Herbig forced a huge fumble that was picked up for a defensive touchdown. 

While Sirianni and Philadelphia hope to use Hard Knocks to their benefit, the Steelers need to be taking advantage of the disastrous situation between their star quarterback and wide receiver. Brown was visibly upset with Hurts and the offense after last week's poor performance, despite the home victory. What better way to fluster Philadelphia's number one receiver than to match him up with Joey Porter Jr., the team's most physical cornerback. 

Porter has had some recent issues with drawing too many penalties, but he's still not allowing any big plays from opposing receivers. As seen in the television series, Porter has been working on his penalties with his coaching staff in Pittsburgh. 

With George Pickens likely being sidelined another week due to a hamstring injury, Porter and the defense will have to keep Philadelphia's offense under control in a low-scoring affair. The offense's firepower took a huge drop in last week's win without Pickens, and it's reasonable to expect the same against the Eagles, who have a much better defense than last year. 

Steelers Vs Eagles Outcome Dependent On Who Wins Coaching Battle

With the Steelers struggling like no other in Philadelphia, Tomlin ought to have a great gameplan for his team. As Steeler Nation has suffered through before, there have been many instances in the past where it seems Tomlin was simply outcoached, resulting in brutal losses. Although, when he's on his A-game, Tomlin is arguably the best coach in the NFL. Tomlin needs to coach a great game on Sunday if he wants his team to have any shot at ending the Eagles' winning streak. 

Sirianni, on the other hand, also has his fair share of poorly coached performances. The winner of this battle will certainly come down to who can out-coach the other. 

What do you think of Sirianni's comments? Can the Steelers finally get a win in Philadelphia after nearly 60 years? Let us know in the comments below. 

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