Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)

Steelers top Eagles in preseason opener

- By Rob Maaddi

Landry Jones and Josh Dobbs each tossed touchdown passes and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Philadelph­ia Eagles 3114 Thursday night in the preseason opener.

The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles rested several starters, including quarterbac­ks Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. Nate Sudfeld threw a pair of touchdown passes and two intercepti­ons.

Ben Roethlisbe­rger and Antonio Brown sat for the Steelers and Le’Veon Bell still hasn’t signed his franchise tender.

Jones completed all four of his passes for 83 yards, including a 71-yard TD pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster in the first quarter. SmithSchus­ter made a leaping catch over Rasul Douglas at the 33 and ran untouched to the end zone.

Fitzgerald Toussaint had a 3-yard TD run and a 2-point conversion to give Pittsburgh a 15-8 lead. Dobbs threw a 29-yard TD pass to Damoun Patterson late in the second quarter.

Sudfeld threw a perfect strike for a 63-yard TD to Shelton Gibson and fired a 15-yard TD pass to rookie Dallas Goedert. He finished 10 of 14 for 140 yards.

Wentz still hasn’t been cleared for contact after having surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his left knee last December. Foles, the Super Bowl MVP, has missed a few practices with muscle spasms in his neck and shoulder.

Mason Rudolph, a third-round pick competing with Jones and Dobbs for the backup job to Roethlisbe­rger, was 7 of 12 for 101 yards.

ROOKIE REPORT

Steelers: Safety Terrell Edmunds, a first-round pick, had three tackles. Wide receiver James Washington, second-rounder, caught two passes for 44 yards.

Eagles: Goedert, a second-round pick and the team’s first selection, had four catches for 66 yards and one TD. He’ll get plenty of opportunit­ies as the second tight end.

INJURIES

Ryan Shazier joined the defense in Pittsburgh’s pregame huddle, just 11 months after spinal stabilizat­ion surgery. Shazier is out for the season.

NATIONAL ANTHEM

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and cornerback De’Vante Bausby raised their fists during the anthem, and defensive end Chris Long placed his arm around Jenkins’ shoulder. Jenkins had stopped his demonstrat­ion last December. DE Michael Bennett walked out of the tunnel during the anthem and walked toward the bench while it played. It appeared all the Steelers stood.

WELCOME TO FOOTBALL

Eagles rookie Jordan Mailata, an Australian rugby player drafted in the seventh round, got beat for a strip sack on his first series. Mailata began the second half at left tackle.

HONORING FORMER EAGLES

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie announced at halftime that twotime All-Pro defensive end Clyde Simmons and three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Seth Joyner will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on Sept. 23.

NEXT UP

Eagles: Visit the New England Patriots next Thursday.

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 ?? MATT ROURKE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? The Steelers’ Damoun Patterson, right, catches a touchdown pass next to the Eagles’ Rasul Douglas during the first half Thursday in Philadelph­ia.
MATT ROURKE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Steelers’ Damoun Patterson, right, catches a touchdown pass next to the Eagles’ Rasul Douglas during the first half Thursday in Philadelph­ia.

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