The Philadelphia Eagles rolled to a preseason 31-21 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night, following the lead of LeSean McCoy and Nick Foles at Lincoln Financial Field.
NFL preseason results and scores: Eagles top Steelers, 31-21
Philadelphia looked in midseason form against Pittsburgh, trouncing its interstate rival.
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McCoy was dynamite in the first quarter, going for 50 total yards on a pair of receptions and four rushes including a 22-yard touchdown on a perfectly-designed screen pass. However, McCoy would leave the game after that play to have X-rays taken on his thumb which came back negative. McCoy did sustain a sprained thumb and did not return.
Foles was solid throughout the first half, throwing for 179 yards along with a touchdown and interception on 19-of-29 attempts.
For Pittsburgh, the defense struggled to gain any traction. The starters were left in through three quarters and never established themselves, ultimately allowing over 450 yards of total offense. Mark Sanchez also led a touchdown drive against the Pittsburgh starters.
The Steelers finally got on the board in the third quarter when Ben Roethlisberger hit tight end Heath Miller on a beautiful 27-yard touchdown. Roethlisberger was pedestrian, completing 15-of-24 for 157 yards and a pick to go with the aforementioned score.
Injuries
Jeremy Maclin was Foles' main target, catching six balls for 43 yards. Maclin put a major scare into Eagles fans in the second quarter when he went down awkwardly while running a route without contact.
Maclin -- coming off a torn ACL that kept him out of the 2013 season -- grabbed his right knee in obvious pain but was able to walk off the field and subsequently return on the next series.
The Eagles sustained another injury to the receivers when roster-hopeful Arrelious Benn was forced to leave with a head injury, according to NFL Around The League. Benn did not return.
Pittsburgh also took a hit on the injury front with linebacker Jason Worilds hurting after a sack of Sanchez, also per NFL Around The League. Worilds exited with a knee injury and did not return.
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