Rare Eagles-Steelers contest being billed as ‘state championship’
PITTSBURGH – Some people are billing Sunday’s match between the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles and the Steelers at Heinz Field as the “state championship.” “Will be a HUGE game on Sunday,” said one post on an Internet discussion board. “I like the Eagles, and pull for them usually. But not this week. I’ve bled Black and Gold from birth.”
The hoopla rivals speculation from three years ago when many figured the teams would meet in the Super Bowl. Each lost its conference championship game that season, with the Steelers falling to New England and the Eagles to the Rams.
This time around, the Eagles play a 6-1 Steelers team that is coming off a big win over New England, which ended the Patriots’ 21-game winning streak. No NFL team in history has beat undefeated teams in successive weeks so late in a season.
Though once big rivals, the Steelers and Eagles have rarely played each other since the NFL merger in 1970. It will be the ninth time the teams played each other since then; the Eagles lead the all-time series 46-26-3.
Though the stakes are high, the teams aren’t rivals in the same way that the state’s other teams have been. The Pirates and Phillies were rivals until realignment and the Flyers and Penguins are still division foes.
“It’s not conference. It’s pride,” said David Forde Jr., a Philadelphia attorney and Eagles’ season ticket holder. “We as Eagles fans are excited to play against Duce Staley – longtime Eagle. We wish him all the success in the world, except this week.
“The teams we hate are NFC East,” Forde said. “We hate them. Hate the Cowboys. Hate the Giants. Hate the Redskins – not necessarily in that order. With Pittsburgh, we still want to beat you … but we don’t hate you.”
The Steelers’ biggest rivals are the Cleveland Browns.
Indeed, the Eagles and Steelers once played together as the “Steagles” in the 1943 season because so many NFL players left to take part in World War II.
Steelers fan Chris Westbrook fired this shot across the Alleghenies: “Terrell Owens is going to get a rash on his shin because that Sharpie isn’t coming out” – reference to the Eagles flashy receiver.
But while the rivalry may be less than heated, the match underscores differences and similarities between the state’s two largest cities. The cultural gap is wider than the 250 miles that separates them.
Pittsburgh is seen as a sleepy Midwest burg and Philadelphia more urbane. Pittsburgh’s a shot-and-a-beer town, still linked to a steel industry that has no active mills within its borders.
But there are similarities, starting with football.
“They’re two great football towns,” said wide receiver Sean Morey, a special teams standout who was claimed by Steelers on waivers from Philly at the start of this season. “I’ve been really fortunate to be able to play for teams that have had fans that involved: New England, Philadelphia and here. I think they’re very similar.”
Both cities seem to suffer from an inferiority complex – many Philadelphians feel their city is overshadowed by New York and Washington, while Pittsburgh clings to ghosts of past industrial dominance.
Sandwiches are signature foodstuffs for each. Philadelphia has the cheesesteak, a modest yet savory marriage of shaved ribeye and cheese. Pittsburgh has the Primanti Bros. concoction of french fries and coleslaw atop a choice of meats and cheeses.
Now, two Pittsburgh delis are offering sandwiches named after Steelers rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Peppi’s, in the shadow of Heinz Field, charges $7 – Roethlisberger’s jersey number – for the cholesterol-laden beef, sausage, scrambled eggs and American cheese “Roethlisburger.”
“It’s taken hold and is gripping us right now,” said Peppi’s owner and sandwich inventor Jeff Trebac. The sandwich is a limited offer, he said.
He predicts “playoff atmosphere, without a doubt,” Sunday.
Both cities also have peculiar dialect. In referring to groups of people, Philadelphians say “youse” and Pittsburghers say “yinz.”
Many “Picksburghers” go “dahn-tahn” for work and cultural fare, while “Fluffyans” go to “senner siddy” for the same.
The fans do share one thing – a penchant for destroying the long “e” sound. Many would pronounce the matchup as being between the “Iggles” and “Stillers.”