The New Orleans Saints (3-6) will look to flush Monday night’s loss against the Ravens as they will hit the road on the short week to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6). The Saints and the Steelers are both off to a rocky start to their 2022 campaign as they will clash in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.
New Orleans Saints @ Pittsburgh Steelers Game Information:
Current Records: New Orleans Saints (3-6) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6)
Date/Time: November 13th @ 12:00 p.m. CT
Where: Acrisure Stadium; Pittsburgh, PA.
Where to Watch: FOX (Commentators: Play-By-Play Adam Amin, Analyst Mark Schlereth, Reporter Kristina Pink)
Spread: Saints (-1.5)
New Orleans Saints vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Series History:
The Saints lead the all-time series against the Steelers, 9-7. New Orleans will have an opportunity on Sunday to win four consecutive games against Pittsburgh. The last meeting between the two teams came during the 2018 season where the Saints edged out the Steelers, 31-28.
Previewing the Saints Heading Into Week 10:
The Saints are coming off a 27-13 loss on Monday night at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. It was a night where New Orleans couldn’t find their identity on the offensive side of the ball. Alvin Kamara was held in check by the Ravens defensive front and Baltimore was able to control the time of possession.
The Saints can’t afford to hold their downs down after the loss as they will deal with a short week of rest heading into week 10. With the short week, the injury report was filled with key playmakers on both sides of the ball. Mark Ingram, Marshon Lattimore, Erik McCoy, Andrus Peat, Pete Werner and Marcus Maye did not participate in Thursday’s practice. Cameron Jordan was also added to the injury report as he was a limited participant during Thursday’s practice.
New Orleans did get some good news as Trevor Penning was designated for return after spending some time on the injured reserve list. It is unlikely that we see Penning in the starting rotation, but it is a good step in the right direction for the rookie offensive tackle.
The injury bug has hit the Saints for the past several weeks as the absence of Lattimore and Jarvis Landry has been prevalent. It is unlikely that Lattimore will see the field in week 10 as he continues to recover from a kidney and rib injury that he suffered against Seattle. Landry’s status is still up in the air for Sunday’s matchup against the Steelers and is going to be monitored this week.
Scouting the Saints Opponent: Steelers
The Steelers are off to a rough start to their 2022 campaign with a record of 2-6 overall and they currently sit in last place in the AFC North standings. Pittsburgh was able to rest up during their bye week during week nine. The last time we saw the Steelers take the field was during week eight where they lost to the undefeated Eagles, 35-13.
Pittsburgh started out the season by starting Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback, but ever since have turned their attention to Kenny Pickett. Pickett isn’t the only rookie to emerge in the Steelers offense, but George Pickens has been a bright spot for their passing game. Pickens ranks fifth among rookie wide receivers in receiving yards (338) and receptions (26).
The Steelers rushing attack has had their struggles this year as the offensive line hasn’t played up to par. Pittsburgh has showcased a running-back-by committee with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in the backfield. Warren, week-by-week, has started to see an increased role in this offense as Harris has struggled to get it going behind the Steelers offensive line.
On the other side of the ball, the struggles continue as the Pittsburgh defense have had their issues in pass defense. Pittsburgh currently ranks 24th overall in points allowed per game (24.6) and 31st overall in passing yards allowed per game (277.3).
Pittsburgh’s defense will be getting back T.J. Watt for this game as he has proven to be one of the best defensive players in the NFL. The Steelers have athleticism at the linebacker position with Devin Bush, Myles Jack and Alex Highsmith. The talent continues at the next level with Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has quickly become one of the league’s best playmakers.
Prediction for Saints @ Steelers:
It is without question that both teams need this win to get back on track in order to salvage their season in 2022. The Saints, even with a record of 3-6, is still in contention in what is turning to be a down year for the NFC South. New Orleans has to be able to take advantage of a Pittsburgh offense that has been struggling to defend the pass.
Andy Dalton has to be able to take some deep shots down the field to test the secondary of the Steelers. With Landry’s status questionable heading into this weekend’s matchup, New Orleans will once again turn to Chris Olave to be their go-to target. Olave has shown in the previous weeks that he can find the open space to keep drives going for New Orleans.
The Saints defense has to start generating pressure more to the quarterback. They were able to do it in week eight against the Las Vegas Raiders, but they have to start being able to do it more consistently. Look for this to be a four-quarter battle between two teams that have had slow starts to the season, in the end the Saints will pass their road test with a close win against the Steelers.
Prediction: New Orleans Saints 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 20
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