PITTSBURGH -- In only a week's time, the Pittsburgh Steelers will go from playing in an opposing city where they almost never lose to one where they've never won.
At least during the lifetime of any of their current players.
After beating the Cleveland Browns for the 10th consecutive time, the Steelers (2-0) travel across Pennsylvania on Sunday to play in Philadelphia (1-1) - a city where they haven't won in eight games or 43 years, or two stadiums ago for the Eagles.
"Really? 1965? I wasn't even born yet," wide receiver Hines Ward said Wednesday. "What happens then, that's history. It's definitely going to be a challenge, there's no question."
Talk about ancient history. The Eagles played in Franklin Field in 1965; the Steelers never won any of their three regular season game in Veterans Stadium, during irregular appearances dictated by a now-abandoned NFL scheduling format in which AFC teams sometimes didn't play in NFC cities for years. They have yet to play in Lincoln Financial Field.
To these Steelers, the Eagles will be a difficult enough team to beat, regardless of their own franchise's terrible history in Philadelphia.
Despite losing Monday night in Dallas, the Eagles are second in the NFL in scoring (37.5 points per game) and Donovan McNabb is second with 642 yards passing and DeSean Jackson is fourth in receiving with 216 yards.
Despite the Steelers' infrequent trips to Philadelphia and the number of fans they have in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, they expect the atmosphere in Philadelphia to be as anti-Steelers as it was Sunday night in Cleveland.
"It's going to be crazy in Philly. It's probably worse than in Cleveland; I think they don't like us more than Cleveland doesn't like us," running back Willie Parker said.
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