Eagles vs. Steelers 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch NFL preseason online

The cross-state rivals are set for a preseason showdown on Thursday.

Aug 18, 2016, 11:20 AM UTC

NFL: Preseason-Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles

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The Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers don’t get to play each other often being in different conferences, but the Pennsylvania rivalry is always fun to revisit, even it’s only preseason. They’ll face off this Thursday for bragging rights while getting ready for the regular season.

Philadelphia’s quarterback situation got a little clarity in its first preseason game, if only for unfortunate reasons. They’ll be without No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz for the rest of the preseason.

Wentz had an uneven preseason debut in the Eagles’ 17-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, completing 12 of 24 passes for 89 yards and an interception. He also took a number of hard hits, with one of them resulting in a hairline fraction to his ribs. Wentz should be healthy in time for the regular season, but he’ll be missing some valuable preseason reps. Already a raw project out of North Dakota State, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that Wentz will unseat Sam Bradford in his rookie year.

The Steelers have no such drama at quarterback, although Ben Roethlisberger’s health is always a pressing concern. Roethlisberger didn’t play in Pittsburgh’s 30-17 loss to the Detroit Lions last week and will also sit out against the Eagles, with the team preserving him for games that count. Landry Jones got the start but struggled, throwing for just 55 yards on 6-of-12 passing. Bruce Gradkowski only lasted 11 snaps before leaving the game with a torn hamstring, meaning Jones and Dustin Vaughan will be the only two quarterbacks taking reps Thursday night. It also means that if Roethlisberger gets hurt again this season, the Steelers offense looks like it could be in trouble.

The wide receiver corps is in some flux following Martavis Bryant’s year-long drug suspension. Sammie Coates is a candidate to step up after sitting out most of his rookie year, but he had a game to forget last week. Coates finished the game with three catches for 18 yards, but he had ball security problems and fumbled twice. The second-year player did nothing to push Markus Wheaton, who got the night off.

In addition to Bryant’s suspension, the Steelers will also be without Le’Veon Bell for the first four games of the regular season. DeAngelo Williams is slated to be the starter in Bell’s absence and he also sat out the first preseason game. Both players, along with No. 1 receiver Antonio Brown, will sit out their second straight preseason game this week.

Fitzgerald Toussaint was listed as the starting running back a week ago, but Daryl Richardson ended up leading the team with 44 rushing yards on 11 carries. Richardson was briefly a starter for the St. Louis Rams, but he hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since 2013. He’ll be battling Toussaint for the No. 3 spot.