Eagles vs. Steelers: How Long Will Nnamdi Asomugha and 6 Major Starters Play?

Tonight, Nnamdi Asomugha and the Philadelphia Eagles take the field against the AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in both teams' second preseason game of 2011.

Starters on both teams and on both sides of the ball are expected to receive significantly more playing time than they did in Week 1.

In the following slides, we examine how much playing time Asomugha, Ben Roethlisberger and other notable Steelers and Eagles starters will be seeing in tonight's game.

Nnamdi Asomugha

Philadelphia Eagles' head coach Andy Reid has already announced that the team's starters will be playing the entire first half of their game tonight against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The extended playing time should benefit cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha a great deal. Asomugha, one of many high-profile Eagles' free-agent acquisitions, will get a major test this evening covering Steelers wide receivers including Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and the debuting Jerricho Cotchery.

Whether Asomugha has the skills to cover the elite Pittsburgh receiving corps is not the question; it's how well he can integrate himself into the Eagles' defense. Only playing time can assure a smooth transition, and it's certain he will see more of that tonight.

Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played in only one offensive series in his first preseason game of 2011, and completed two of three passes for 22 yards.

Expect Roethlisberger to have more time with his offensive starters in tonight's game. While it is unlikely the Steelers will be playing their first-team offense for the entire first half, as the Eagles are, Roethlisberger should be on the field for the entirety of the first quarter.

This is consistent with his preseason stats of the last few years, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is known to have a formulaic approach with how he orchestrates his preseason game plan.

Roethlisberger clearly needs more time with his starting receivers; last week, the offense without him was stymied and at times appeared ill-prepared and confused.

Expect his increased playing time to translate to increased offensive success for the Steelers tonight.

Michael Vick

Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Michael Vick will be facing his first major test of the preseason by taking on the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers defense for the entire first half of tonight's game.

Vick, who has both an explosive passing and running game, will be looking to make big plays early and often.

This will also be a good test of his level of chemistry and communication with his favorite target, wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Jackson will be making his preseason debut after missing much of training camp on a contract holdout.

It will also be a good test of the Eagles' offensive line, which had difficulty protecting Vick during the 2010 season.

Troy Polamalu

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu makes his preseason debut tonight, after being held out of last week's game against the Washington Redskins.

While it serves to believe that the Steelers' starting defense will likely see more time on the field than its offensive counterpart, expect Polamalu to receive limited assignments.

Polamalu is coming off of an Achilles injury that limited him both last season and in training camp this year, and the Steelers have a stable of safeties, including veteran Will Allen and the undrafted Da'Mon Cromartie Smith, who are vying for the position of Polamalu's backup.

While he will be on the field, do not expect to see him on every play in the first half as you would James Harrison, Lamarr Woodley or the other defensive starters.

DeSean Jackson

Another player making his preseason debut tonight is Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Jackson, who had a stellar 2010 season, missed the majority of training camp and last week's first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens due to a contract holdout.

Thus, Jackson hasn't had as much time as the other Eagles receivers to work with quarterback Michael Vick. This shouldn't be a detriment to Jackson or Vick this evening, as the two spent the 2010 season building the type of chemistry any quarterback-wide receiver tandem dreams of.

While Jackson will be splitting time with other Eagles receivers Jason Avant and Riley Cooper, as well as with tight end Jason Avant, expect him to be available for the entire first half, and to be Vick's primary deep-ball threat.

Mike Wallace

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace has risen to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's favorite target in his two previous seasons with the team.

Tonight, he will get a chance to shine with both Roethlisberger and backup quarterback Byron Leftwich at the helm.

While Roethlisberger will more than likely not play for longer than the first quarter, many other members of the starting offense will remain active throughout the first half. Look for Wallace to be one of them.

Wallace is the team's primary deep threat, and this matchup gives the Steelers ample opportunity to see how he will fare while being covered by three of the best corners in the league—the Philadelphia Eagles' Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel.