The New Orleans Saints are coming off a must-win game against the New York Giants. Coming off their big win, the Saints are now enjoying their time in Paris ahead of another probable must-win game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Gayle Benson and the Saints organization have put a lot of resources into being the ambassadors of the NFL in Paris, and a win will certainly help. But if the Black and Gold want to go into the bye with a win, they’ll have to utilize these key matchups.
Saints pass protection vs. Steelers’ star pass rushers
The Saints have surprisingly
held their own against some of the league’s top pass rushers through their first six games of the season. Abdul Carter, Maxx Crosby, Aiden Hutchinson, and Trey Hendrickson have combined for one sack against the Saints’ pass protection. Despite their success, they haven’t faced a group as talented as the Steelers pass rushers, highlighted by T.J. Watt.
The former Defensive Player of the Year has 4.5 sacks so far this season and remains in contention for the prestigious award this season. The Saints’ pass protection has struggled this season, mostly due to blitz packages, and is facing a Steelers team that blitzes just 26% of the time. Pittsburgh is confident in their pass rushers to win one-on-one with Watt, Nate Herbig, and Alex Highsmith therefore don’t send in extra pass rushers.
The key to winning the game is keeping Tyler Shough upright, and the Saints are certain to be tested in pass protection.
Saints run game vs. Steelers run defense
Unfortunately for the Saints offense, they’re facing a defense that’s good against the pass and against the run. While their run defense isn’t as good as their top-10 pass defense, it’s still above average, ranked 14th in the NFL.
But a 14th-place ranking doesn’t tell the whole story. Pittsburgh held Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving to 2.3 yards per carry on 19 carries, Jonathan Taylor to 3.0 yards per carry, and Quinshon Judkins to 3.1 yards per carry. The Steelers’ run defense is performing exceptionally against running backs and will be facing a Saints team coming off their best rushing performance of the season.
The Saints rushed for 175 yards against the Giants, highlighted by Kendre Miller, who rushed for 70 yards on 3.5 a carry. Alvin Kamara and C.J. Donaldson, however, were more efficient with their touches, rushing for 4.9 and 6.5 yards per carry, respectively.
The Saints are dealing with injuries to their offensive line, with rookie Jeremiah Wright taking over for Cessar Ruiz. Wright was impressive in his NFL debut and played a big role in the Black and Gold’s rushing success. If New Orleans wants to find their third win of the season, it will have to come with more success running the ball.
Saints’ pass defense vs. QB Aaron Rodgers
The Saints’ secondary had their best three quarters of the season, then followed it up with an unbelievably bad fourth quarter. After intercepting Jameis Winston twice and J.J. McCarthy once, the Saints defense allowed 243 passing yards to McCarthy in their fourth-quarter meltdown, and will now face a veteran in Aaron Rodgers, who is playing good football.
Rodgers has thrown for 3+ touchdowns in four of his last five games. While he has made mistakes, throwing four interceptions in that span, the veteran is playing his best since leaving the Green Bay Packers. Pittsburgh is a solid rushing team, but they rely on Rodgers to win them games. Stop Rodgers, and you have a good chance to come out of Paris with a win.
