The Eagles are trying to put aside perceived problems with the Hurts-Brown relationship ahead of the Steelers showdown

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The guy at the Philly sports talk radio station had something to say, and he started speaking out about the perceived strained relationship between star quarterback Jalen Hurts and outstanding wide receiver AJ Brown.

Why weren’t these two Pro Bowl Eagles on the same page? Why had their personal and professional relationship changed even with Philadelphia enjoying tremendous success?

It was football gossip, usually ripe for a hot-take host or a jaded fan to stir in the air – only in this case the temperature control came from inside the dressing room.

Normally respected team manager Brandon Graham, sidelined with a triceps injury, noted in a radio appearance that ” things have changed ” between Hurts and Brown in the aftermath of a outdated passing game in last week’s win over Carolina.

An apologetic Graham walked back his comments. Hurts and Brown both insisted their relationship was cool in front of media hordes more appropriate for the Super Bowl. As for the rest of the Eagles, they were ready to squash the so-called controversy.

“We’re moving on,” offensive lineman and Christmas carol crooner Jordan Mailata said. “It’s the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Not AJ Brown and the Jalen Show. It’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s it.”

Oh yeah, Steelers!

Lost in the brouhaha ignited in a Philly sports bar is the fact that the Steelers (10-3) are sitting — and winning — on the western side of Pennsylvania.

Unlike most matchups in series history, this one Sunday at the Linc comes with the tantalizing appeal of a potential Super Bowl first. The Steelers have won seven of eight and the Eagles (11-2) have won nine straight and could clinch the NFC East with a win and a Washington loss or tie. It is the first time the teams – among the original eight NFL teams – have played each other when they both have double-digit win totals.

Both teams are in strong position for a playoff spot – the Eagles led by Saquon Barkley and his pursuit of Eric Dickerson’s NFL season record; Russell Wilson and soft schedule Steelers atop the AFC North thanks in large part to six wins against teams that currently have losing records.

“I like playing really good people, I think there’s growth in that,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “You’ve got to get the job done. But man, I think there’s significant growth in putting your collective talents and skills against great opponents, and they certainly are.”

Will the drama from Philly this week affect the Eagles? They certainly don’t think so, and neither do the oddsmakers — the Eagles are 5 1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM.

“What I’ve noticed about this football team is that they are so locked in and determined to get better every day,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “We don’t really want anyone talking to us about anything other than the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

Good luck with that, coach.

Perhaps playing the Steelers at home on Sunday can snap the Eagles out of their offensive malaise. Hurts threw three TD passes to Brown in a 35-13 win in 2022.

Barkley watch

Barkley leads the NFL in rushing with 1,623 yards, 216 yards ahead of Baltimore’s Derrick Henry.

He is averaging 124.8 yards per game. At that rate, and with one more game to play than Dickerson had, he would become the greatest single-season rusher in NFL history. He needs 483 yards over the last four games to top Dickerson’s 40-year-old record. Barkley is on pace for 2,122 yards, which would put him just 17 yards shy of Dickerson’s 2,105 in 1984.

Barkley doesn’t need much of a reminder from his 2020 performance when, while playing for the New York Giants, he ran into a Pittsburgh defense that seemed reminiscent of its famed Steel Curtain. The Steelers held Barkley to 6 yards on 15 carries.

Goodbye, George

The Steelers will have to find a way against the NFL’s toughest defense without wide receiver George Pickens, who will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury.

Pittsburgh survived last week against Cleveland, with Mike Williams and Scotty Miller — afterthoughts of late — coming off the bench to make an impact.

While Tomlin believes “the strength of the pack is the pack,” the reality is the Steelers don’t have anyone who can stretch the field like Pickens, who leads the team in receptions (55) and yards (850) by a wide margin.

It’s a challenge, but given the way Wilson has spread the ball around — eight players caught passes against the Browns — he won’t be short of opportunities.

“Everybody in the receiver room has different skills, different strengths,” Calvin Austin III said. “The coaching staff knows that and they know how to put us in a position to show it.”

Playoff preview

The cross-state trip to Philadelphia, where the Steelers haven’t won in nearly 60 years, is the start of an 11-day stretch in which Pittsburgh faces three teams likely headed for the playoffs.

While Tomlin leans into the “nameless, gray faces” mantra he uses for every opponent, his players know that facing the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs in such a short period of time is a litmus test for what’s to come in January .

“That’s why I’m in the league, period,” linebacker Patrick Queen said. “When you sign up to play football, you want to play at the highest level. … I love to play the game the right way. I think the next few games will show that, and it starts with the Eagles.”

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Dan Gelston, Associated Press