Missed opportunities by the Pittsburgh Steelers plague team in 17-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Week 2 of the NFL preseason trying to find some rhythm after a 30-17 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 1. They were hoping to find their groove against the Philadelphia Eagles, as their cross-state rivals came to Heinz Field Thursday night.

The Steelers were able to get the ball rolling against the Lions early last week with a pick six, unfortunately tonight they were on the wrong end of one when Nolan Carroll took a Landry Jones pass to the house. It was a bad pass by Jones, but Sammie Coates ran a bad route where he stuttered at the top allowing Carroll to jump in front of him.

The Steelers followed that up by a promising eight-minute drive that featured nice plays from Eli Rogers and Fitzgerald Toussaint. Rogers, in particular was impressive, picking up several first downs from the slot. Unfortunately, Jones threw his second interception after his pass for receiver Cobi Hamilton in the end zone was tipped to the Eagles Malcolm Jenkins ending the drive with no points.

The Steelers defense was able to stifle the Eagles offense, but Jones and the offense were unable to get anything going. Jones threw two more interceptions for a total of four in the first half while the Eagles added a field goal from Cody Parkey as time expired with the score 10-0 at halftime.

If the first half was a dominant Steelers defense, the second half was certainly the opposite side of the coin. The Eagles to the first drive of the half and capped it off a 15-play, 80-yard drive with a Barner touchdown to add to their lead with the score 17-0.

Dustin Vaughan took over in the second half, but it was more inconsistent play from the entire offense. The Steelers, who gained a great deal of yardage in the first half, struggled to even get a first down in the third quarter. It wasn't until the Steelers 4th string defense caused a fumble with 2:00 left in the game, and Dustin Vaughan had a chance to prevent the shutout.

His efforts were for naught, and the game would end with a 17-0 score, and moved Pittsburgh's preseason record to 0-2. It also makes their overall preseason record since 2013 a whopping 2-13. The Steelers next preseason game will be next Friday when the team travels to New Orleans to play the Saints in what many consider the final dress rehearsal for the starters before Week 1.