Following their unplanned week 4 bye, the Pittsburgh Steelers will play 13 straight games to close out the 2020 regular season. The first of those 13 games comes Sunday at home against the depleted, 1-2-1, first place in the NFC East Philadelphia Eagles. As they sit atop the AFC North at 3-0, the Steelers will be looking to remain undefeated. A key player to watch in this matchup is tight end Eric Ebron. Philadelphia has been one of the worst teams at covering tight ends this year. It will likely be a priority for Ben Roethlisberger to get Ebron heavily involved in the offensive attack.
Eric Ebron Is a Week 5 X-Factor
Friendly Matchup With the Eagles
Philadelphia ranks towards the bottom of the league in all statistics allowed to opposing tight ends so far this year. They’ve allowed 25 receptions to tight ends through four games, the sixth-most in the NFL. To go with the receptions, the Eagles are allowing 68.8 yards per game to opposing tight ends, tied for the fourth-worst in the league. Finally, they have allowed five receiving touchdowns to tight ends this year, which ties them for the most in the league. Clearly, there’s a lot of potential for Eric Ebron to have himself a breakout game in week 5.
Through four games, the sample size isn’t big and a few big games could easily skew the numbers. But, two of the four statlines the Eagles have allowed to tight ends so far this year have been bad. In week 4, George Kittle exploded for 15 receptions, 183 yards, and a touchdown. Surely, Eric Ebron isn’t in the same tier of tight ends as Kittle, but it’s still worth noting. Against the Los Angeles Rams in week 2, Philadelphia allowed five receptions, 57 yards, and three touchdowns to Tyler Higbee. So clearly, the potential for Ebron to have a big game is there. Especially in the red zone, Roethlisberger will be taking his fair share of looks at Ebron.
Ebron’s Involvement Is Trending up
Another reason to have high expectations for Eric Ebron in week 5 is that he’s becoming a more important part of the offense. In week 3 against the Houston Texans, Ebron recorded five receptions, 52 yards, and a touchdown. All three are season highs for Ebron. He was targeted seven times as well, tied for the most on the team in that game. Roethlisberger connected with Ebron on a back shoulder jump ball in the end zone for their touchdown. It was clear watching the game that their chemistry is improving.
All of these factors add up for a bigger role for Eric Ebron against the Eagles. They don’t cover tight ends well at all, especially with their banged up defense. Plus, Ebron has seen his involvement in the offense expand each week so far. If that trend continues against the Eagles, it will likely be a big game for Ebron. And if that happens, it will likely be a big game for the Steelers offense as a whole. The threat of Ebron across the middle should open up plenty of opportunities for Steelers receivers as deep threats, as well as running backs releasing out of the backfield.
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