The first-team defense played in only two series against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
The good news is that the Eagles' pass rush, which generated a league-best 50 sacks a year ago, was fierce even without the likes of Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Babin and Trent Cole. Unfortunately, the Steelers were able to score on their first two drives Thursday.
Middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans said after making his Eagles (preseason) debut that he is not concerned.
"It's the first game, the first preseason game," Ryans said. "I'm not going to let that weigh on me. It's too early. We're all going to improve. That's what Training Camp and preseason are for. You definitely look to improve and have better outings than we did, but I'm not going to let those things ruin our night. We won the game and our young guys finished strong. I'm happy about that."
After receiving the ball to start the game, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers marched down the field on a 16-play, 9:48 drive of 52 yards before kicker Shaun Suisham gave them a 3-0 lead with a 46-yard field goal.
The second drive was shorter but more effective, as quarterback Byron Leftwich relieved Roethlisberger and drove down for a 70-yard touchdown drive, ending on a short pass to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders on third-and-goal from 2 yards out.
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