Pennsylvania Teams Headed For Showdown

Not only is Pennsylvania a battleground state in an election that looks to go down to the wire, it is also home to two of the best teams in the NFL. Yes, pro football fans in PA -- and Eagles and Steelers fans nationwide -- are living the good life so far this year.

The Philadelphia Eagles have lost in the NFC Championship game the last three years and quite frankly, they are a bit tired of it. In order to boost their rather pathetic receiving corps, and give Donovan McNabb a real deep threat, the Eagles went out and got Terrell Owens. Everybody knows that Owens has a big mouth and a tendency to showboat when he gets in the end zone, but some questioned just how much he would add to the Eagles' offense. It turns out quite a bit. As if to prove a point, Owens had the key touchdown in the Eagles' 15-10 win over Baltimore.

It was the Ravens who had originally made the trade for Owens, but instead lost out to the Eagles when T.O. refused to play in Baltimore. Owens now has 34 catches for 596 yards and 8 touchdowns. T.O. is averaging 17.5 yards per grab and his 8 TDs are nearly two thirds of McNabb's 13. Clearly, Owens has become a valuable weapon in Philadelphia and has taken some of the heat off McNabb. With Brian Westbrook out, it was even more important for T.O. to step up; and give him credit, he did.

The Eagles are now the lone remaining undefeated team in the NFL, but to be fair, they haven't faced a lot of high-caliber teams. If you take out their first two wins (against the Giants and the Vikings), their opponents have a combined record of 13-21. But the fact remains the Eagles have found ways to win (including a overtime win last week in Cleveland). They have out scored their opponents 186-104 so far this season, and that is a recipe for success.

In a twist of fate, or the scheduling gods, the Eagles get a real test nest week when they travel across the state to Heinz Field to take on the red-hot Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers will look to knock the last remaining unbeaten team off their pedestal just like they ended the New England Patriots' consecutive wins steak at 21 on Sunday.

The Steelers are really a Cinderella story this year. In another Philly connection, the Steelers' biggest offseason acquisition was former Eagle running back Duce Staley. Clearly, Duce was a big addition as he has run for 582 yards including four 100-plus-yard games. The combination of Duce Staley and a rejuvenated Jerome Bettis has recharged the Steelers' running game. But looking back the most important offseason acquisition might turn out to be rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger entered the lineup when starting QB Tommy Maddox went down against Baltimore in Week 2. Since then, the rookie out of Miami of Ohio has ripped off five-straight wins to power the Steelers to a two-game lead in their division and a 6-1 record. His first start came in rough conditions. Not only was he on the road and facing a tough defense in Miami, but he had to face the uncertainty of a change in game time due to severe weather. Roethlisberger's first pass was intercepted, but he soon calmed down and captained the Steelers to a 13-3 win in very tough conditions.

The next week, he was right back at it, leading the Steelers to a come-from-behind victory over division rival Cincinnati. In that game, Roethlisberger clearly outshone second-year and former first-round draft pick Carson Palmer, whose late interception sealed the game. Perhaps even more impressive, however, was his come-from-behind victory the next week against Dallas. It is one thing to beat the Bengals at home, it is another thing to go on the road and beat a Bill Parcels-coached team. Down 10 points in the fourth quarter, Ben once again rallied his team as the Steelers scored 14 unanswered points to win. He completed nine-straight throws on his last two scoring drives to lead the team to victory.

But those wins were all a set up for Sunday's game against New England. The Super Bowl champs were coming into town unbeaten and having won a record 21 games in a row dating back to last season. All of the talk going into the game was how Bill Belichick and Romeo Crennel were going to confuse Roethlisberger with a variety of defensive schemes and blitzes. Few experts thought the rookie would get the better of these veteran coaches and their unpredictable defense.

Instead of wilting under the pressure or making mistakes out of confusion, Roethlisberger instead led the Steelers to four scores off of Patriot turnovers to win going away, 34-20. Two big throws to Plaxico Burress and an interception return for a touchdown by Deshea Townsend put Pittsburgh up 21-3 in the first quarter and they never looked back. Tom Brady rallied the Patriots to score a touchdown just before half, but a third quarter Kevin Faulk fumble led to another short Jerome Bettis touchdown run and the lead was once again 21. Tom Brady ended up with more completions and more yards than Roethlisberger, but he also had two interceptions, a fumble and was sacked four times.

The Steelers are clearly a rejuvenated team. New defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has his young group of players hitting hard and taking advantage of opportunities. They have come up big when they needed to. Troy Polamalu had the clutch interception return for a TD to seal the win over the Bengals. James Farrior caused the crucial fumble that led to the comeback at Dallas. And Sunday, Joey Porter had three sacks and caused a fumble to go along with Townsend's pick and score.

The offense is also pumped up. The combination of Staley and Bettis is proving to be formidable. Duce is a solid feature back that can carry the load. Bettis is a dangerous weapon in goal line situations and on third down. As an added benefit, using both backs keeps each one healthier. Both backs have had injuries in the past, so keeping them fresh is important. Plus, the last thing opponents want to see after being pounded by Duce Staley is the Bus coming off the bench.

The Bus' eight touchdowns are testament to the effectiveness of the Steelers' goal line offense. As a result, the Steelers have the best red zone touchdown efficiency rating in the NFL. Combine this running game with an athletic and talented quarterback and a top-notch group of receivers, and you have a potent offensive package. If the Steelers need to run out the clock on a lead, they have the punishing ground game to do it. If they need to move the ball down the field to win a game, they have the firepower to do it. Right now, the Steelers look like a well-rounded and dangerous team. (Full disclosure: I am a long-time Steeler fan.)

All of this sets up a great match up for next week: the Battle of Pennsylvania. It pits the perennial NFC contender against the rejuvenated, but tradition-laden, challenger -- the lone remaining unbeaten team in the NFL versus the team that ended the streak. You have the All-Pro veteran in McNabb versus the up-and-coming rookie Roethlisberger. You have superstar wideout Terrell Owen versus suddenly hot Plaxico Burress. To go with the offensive battle, you have two teams that like to win with tough defense and a strong running game. To top it all off, you have two great coaches in Andy Reid and Bill Cower.

Pennsylvania football fans have got to be pumped. This is a battle royale for in-state bragging rights. I don't know about you, but I will be watching every minute of this one.