Five things we learned from Steelers 38, Eagles 29:

1. Tough tests on horizon

If the Steelers played NCAA basketball, based on the first month of scheduling, critics would have pegged the team’s coach as Jamie Dixon and not Mike Tomlin.

Based on the records of their first four opponents, the Steelers opened against some of the NFL’s cupcakes, if you will, much like Dixon notoriously did to ease Pitt into a season during his tenure.

The teams the Steelers have beaten while amassing a 4-0 start — the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles — have a combined 3-15-1 record. Now comes the meatier portion of the Steelers schedule, which includes the start of “conference play,” to borrow another NCAA hoops reference.

The team’s mettle will be tested over the next three weeks with a home game against the 4-1 Cleveland Browns and trips to the 3-0 Tennessee Titans (provided that game still gets played) and 4-1 Baltimore Ravens. Then, the Steelers will make a third consecutive road trip, playing at the 2-3 Dallas Cowboys.

While fans rejoice over the Steelers getting off to their best start since 1979, much more will be gleaned about this team’s season based on how they handle this next quad of games.

2. Line dancing

The Steelers survived another injury on the offensive line as former All-Pro guard David DeCastro left in the first quarter with an abdominal injury and did not return. Tomlin didn’t provide much information on DeCastro in his postgame interview other than to question the guard’s availability this week.

Center Maurkice Pouncey also walked off the field late in the fourth quarter with what Tomlin described as a foot injury. His status also is unknown. J.C. Hassenauer, playing his first NFL snaps, was at center while the Steelers ran out the final 2 minutes, 10 seconds.

When Pouncey missed the season finale last year against Baltimore with a knee injury and served an earlier two-game suspension, the Steelers had dependable interior lineman B.J. Finney available to start. This year, with Stefen Wisniewski on injured reserve with a pectoral injury, the Steelers may need to rely on Hassenauer, who was battle tested in college at Alabama but has been an understudy in the pros.

At right guard, the Steelers would have rookie Kevin Dotson make his second NFL start if DeCastro is unable to suit up against Cleveland.

3. Balancing act

The last time Ben Roethlisberger played a full season, the Steelers were the most pass-happy team in the NFL. Roethlisberger led the league in passing yards in 2018, but he also threw the most interceptions while the Steelers missed the playoffs for the first time in five years.

The offense still is built around Roethlisberger’s surgically repaired right arm, but the run-pass ratio is no longer so lopsided. With the wrinkle of the occasional jet sweep by Chase Claypool and a 58-yard end around by Ray-Ray McCloud thrown into the mix, the Steelers had 136 yards rushing against the Eagles. The Steelers had 32 running plays, including a pair of kneel-downs, and 25 came from traditional running backs James Conner, Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland. Roethlisberger attempted 34 passes.

The previous week, the Steelers had 38 carries, including four kneel-downs, for a season-high 169 yards. Roethlisberger put the ball in the air 36 times.

Such balance, particularly with the additional gadgetry, makes this offense much less predictable and more difficult to defend.

4. Behold the big boys

Much was written about the prolific Eagles front four and the depth along the defensive line, which included former Steelers nose tackle Javon Hargrave. The Eagles entered with an NFL-high 17 sacks but brought down Roethlisberger just once.

The Steelers were more successful against Carson Wentz, sacking the Eagles quarterback five times. Half of those sacks came from the defensive line, with Stephon Tuitt getting one and a half sack and Cameron Heyward getting another.

Working his way back from a pectoral injury that cut his 2019 season in half, Tuitt played his best game of the season, making five tackles and hitting Wentz three times. He ranks second on the team with 3.5 sacks. Heyward, who combined for 29 sacks over the previous three seasons, has just 1.5 but continually can be found in the backfield.

5. Seeing red

With Roethlisberger out of commission for the final 14 games last year, it was not surprising the Steelers had the worst red-zone efficiency in the NFL. The Steelers scored touchdowns on just 35% of their trips inside the opposing team’s 20.

Even with Roethlisberger back in the fold, the results weren’t immediate this year in terms of red-zone touchdown efficiency. The Steelers were 1 of 3 against Denver and 2 of 5 against Houston. That changed against the Eagles, and it helped the Steelers reach the 30-point plateau for the first time in 24 games.

The Steelers responded with touchdowns on all three trips inside the Eagles 20. Claypool scored on a 2-yard jet sweep in the first quarter and a 5-yard pass out of a bunch formation in the third, and Conner tacked on a 1-yard touchdown after a Steven Nelson interception provided the offense a short field.

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