The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the Linc this Sunday for a 4:25 p.m. kickoff to battle the Eagles in a much-anticipated clash.

This one has the makings to be a potential Super Bowl preview.

Russell Wilson is the leading candidate for the Comeback Player of the Year Award, while Saquon Barkley is the favorite for the MVP. Both defenses are among the league’s best in both passing and rushing.

Their matchup dates back to 1933, when it was the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Eagles. In 1940, the team name was changed to the Steelers.

Oh, are some feathers ruffled in the Eagles’ nest? And is Jalen Hurts playing his role effectively in the Birds’ offense?

In this week’s version of my Inside the Huddle column, I’ll take a look at the Eagles-Steeelers series, as well as some scuttlebutt that has surfaced within the Eagles’ offense.

Also, who’s hot and who’s not heading into Week 14 of the season.

The Series ... This will be the 82nd meeting between the two teams, and the Eagles hold an overall 49-29-3 advantage. They last squared off in 2022 with the Eagles winning at home, 35-13.

Pittsburgh hasn’t won in Philly since 1965, gaining a 20-14 victory at Franklin Field.

In that game, Steelers’ quarterback Bill Nelsen threw a game-winning third-quarter touchdown pass, and Jim Bradshaw had three of the team’s four interceptions, returning one 82 yards for a score.

Eagles’ quarterback Jack Concannon completed 10 of 24 passes for 123 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. King Hill also had two interceptions for the Eagles.

Pittsburgh won a 38-20 meeting in 2020 at Heinz Field.

Ben Roethlisberger tossed a game-clinching touchdown with just under three minutes to play. It was one of his three on the day.

Carson Wentz tossed a pair of touchdowns and was picked off twice. Who was his top receiver? Travis Flugham, who caught 10 passes for 152 yards in his lone season with Philly. Remember him?

With the Steelers’ success, you can easily forget how great Roethlisberger was, and how great Three Rivers Stadium was with its scoreboard.

When was the last Eagles’ win? See below.

Ruffled Feathers ... In their recent 22-14 victory over Carolina, wide receiver A.J. Brown stated “passing” when asked what needed to be improved after the game.

That stirred injured defensive lineman Brandon Graham to infer there was some tension between Hurts and Brown, as the duo has hooked up on just nine catches and a mere 10 targets the last two games.

Over the past two games, Hurts had thrown for 226 yards combined, both of which resulted in victories.

In reality, Hurts has been a game manager for most of the season due to Barkley’s dominance on the ground. The Birds’ defense has helped do their part.

According to the numbers, the Eagles’ passing game ranks 31st in the NFL, averaging just 181 yards per game.

Wednesday afternoon, though, both Hurts and Brown apparently cleared the air, and stressed that there isn’t any tension between them.

At this point, the Eagles don’t need any locker room strife. You can think back to the days of the Donovan McNabb-Terrell Owens rift.

Bit of Irony ... In their last meeting in 2022, the Eagles posted a convincing 35-13 victory at the Linc.

Hurts completed 19 of 28 passes for 285 yards, and threw three of his four touchdown passes to ... Brown, who caught six balls for 156 yards.

Not Hurts-in’ ... Even though Hurts isn’t recording glaring stats, he still has held his own.

Hurts has thrown for 2,602 yards, completing 68.3 percent with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. He is projected to throw for over 3,400 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His QBR is ninth among starting quarterbacks, ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff.

Last season, he threw for a career-high 3,858 yards with a TD/INT ratio of 23/15.

In situational stats, Hurts has a 71.5 percentage, attempting 11 to 20 passes with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions, and a 73.3 percentage with 21-30 attempts with three touchdowns and one interceptions.

Ram Tough ... Since they started the season 1-4, the Rams (7-6) have won six of their last eight games, and are on the heels of the first-place Seahawks (8-5). The Rams are coming off a shootout victory (44-42) over the Bills, which can definitely be a springboard for their final four games.

Like the Steelers, the Rams have been playing well, and are again catching the attention of the public.

Puka Nacua had 12 catches against the Bills for 162 yards with a touchdown, and has 42 catches in the past five games, proving he’s one of the most agile and athletic receivers in the league. Along with Cooper Kupp, the Rams have a deep core with Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Whittington and Tutu Atwell.

Matthew Stafford has regained his touch with 10 touchdowns and one interception, and running back Kyren Williams has broken the 1,000-yard barrier (1,013) with 12 rushing touchdowns.

Defensively, the Rams are a bend-but-not-break bunch, as they are ranked 27th against the pass and 28th against the run. Linebacker Christian Rozeboom is a stud with 11 tackles, and Jaylen McCullough has four interceptions.

The Rams are at San Francisco for the Thursday night game, where the Niners are still missing Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams. Then they travel to New York for the Jets, before closing with games against Arizona and Seattle.

Los Angeles can win all four remaining games, and holds the tiebreaker over Seattle. If they run the table, they could be a threat to upset anyone.

It would be yet another refreshing story this season. I can still think back to the days of Roman Gabriel, Jack Snow, Les Josephson and the Fearsome Foursome. How about kicker David Ray?

Topping Off ... These are my top five teams:

1) Chiefs (12-1) - They’ve had three game-winning field goals by three different kickers. Fate appears to be carrying them back to the Super Bowl.

2) Lions (12-1) - Talk about fate. Head coach Dan Campbell is a riverboat gambler with his fourth-down risks that have paid off.

3) Eagles (11-2) - Despite the drama, they are the league’s hottest team with a nine-game streak. Barkley headed to the rushing record.

4) Bills (10-3) - They will bounce back after a tough loss to the Rams. Josh Allen is fun to watch, and his lead will dictate their success.

5) Steelers (10-3)/Vikings (11-2) - I lean a bit toward the Steelers here, but the Vikings are for real. Everyone is waiting for Wilson and Sam Darnold to break down, but they haven’t shown any signs.

Bottoming Out ... These are my five worst teams:

1) Giants - It’s been shades of the 70s, and Giants’ fans are staying home. Only consolation is the likely No. 1 pick in the draft.

2) Raiders - The team still has some fight, but it will be a long four weeks ahead. Like the Giants, it’s pre-draft time.

3) Patriots - The good news is that Drake Maye is their franchise quarterback. They have some other pieces in place for the future.

4) Titans - This will be a total rebuild here, and the Titans need to find a quarterback. Darnold would be a good fit.

5) Browns/Jaguars - Both teams need an overhaul defensively, and Jameis Winston was a temporary stop gap. Both head coaches can be out the door.

In Case You Missed It ... There’s been much hype about the Eagles’ streak, but the Lions have quietly won 11 straight. They haven’t lost since Week Two against Tampa Bay, 20-16, and that was at home.

Besides the Eagles-Steelers this weekend, the Lions host the Bills at 4:25 p.m.

Maybe A Fit ... It’s hard to see 72-year-old Bill Belichick coaching at basketball school North Carolina.

Ex-Jets’ boss Robert Saleh has surfaced as a candidate to replace James Franklin, who is presumably under fire at Penn State. Franklin’s set will get hotter if the Nittany Lions look bad in their playoff game.

I could see Saleh going there, as he has college experience.

Your thoughts are always welcomed; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com