Fresh off of their bye week, the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 10 game against the New Orleans Saints will undoubtedly be of great interest. It's no secret to any NFL observer that the 2022 season has been one of many challenges for the Steelers, currently sitting in last place of the AFC North with a record of 2-6. However, following a brutal Week 8 loss to the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, head coach Mike Tomlin will look to shake things up and get this franchise back on track in Week 10.
The 3-6 Saints, coming off a beatdown loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night in Week 9, find themselves in third place in the NFC South. As such, this Steelers-Saints game will be critical for either team to win and keep whatever playoff hopes they have alive.
With this in mind, here are our three bold predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Week 10 game against the Saints.
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3. Linebacker TJ Watt returns with a vengeance, records two sacks
Assuming he receives the green light to suit up, one of the biggest storylines in this game is the return of All-Pro linebacker TJ Watt. The defending NFL Defensive Player of the Year has not played since Week 1 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals after tearing a pectoral muscle, though he did practice briefly ahead of Week 8. This defensive unit could undoubtedly use his help, too.
Without Watt in the lineup, the Steelers' defense has allowed the ninth-most total yards (3161) to opposing offenses and recorded the fifth-fewest number of sacks (15) among all teams in the NFL in 2022, according to Pro Football Reference.
Though the Saints' offensive line has been a strong unit this season, ranking eleventh-best in sack percentage (5.7%), we're talking about a player in Watt who has registered 38.5 sacks in 31 games since 2020. For math fans, that's an average of 1.24 sacks per game in the last three seasons. As a result, saints quarterback Andy Dalton will need to keep his head on a swivel on Sunday if Watt is in the Steelers lineup.
2. Jaylen Warren out-touches Najee Harris and leads the Steelers' backfield on the box score
To put it bluntly, the Steelers' rushing attack in 2022 has been an abject failure and a far cry from the identity of this club. Per Pro Football Reference, the Steelers rank sixth-worst in rushing yards per game (94.9), second-worst in rushing touchdowns (four), and fourth-worst in total rushing yards (759).
As dreadful as the offensive line in Pittsburgh is, starting running back Najee Harris does shoulder a fair amount of the blame for his poor performance this year. Harris ranks 34th in the NFL in rushing yards (361) and yards per game (45.1) among all players. Yes, that includes four quarterbacks with more rushing yards than the second-year back out of Alabama.
That said, whispers that rookie running back Jaylen Warren will see an increased role moving forward makes this situation very interesting. Warren is averaging a whole two yards per carry (5.3) more than Harris (3.3) and has shown explosiveness out of the backfield at times this season.
To suggest Harris has lost the starting job outright is a touch premature and not the intent of this prediction. However, seeing what the former Oklahoma State product can do against a Saints' defense that has allowed the tenth-highest total rushing yards (1088) to opposing teams this season stands to reason. In addition, Warren has a solid chance of performing well and creating a committee in the Steelers' backfield.
1. George Pickens pops off for 100+ receiving yards
Now that the logjam in the wide receiver room is gone following the trade of Chase Claypool, the rookie first-round pick out of Georgia stands alone as the WR2 behind teammate Diontae Johnson. Pickens has built a strong rapport with fellow rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, and this game against the Saints will allow him to shine.
According to Stathead, Pickens ranks fifth among all rookie wideouts in receiving yards (338), receptions (26), and targets (43) in 2022. While these totals are not eye-popping, it is worth mentioning that 273 of Pickens' 338 yards (80.77%) have come since Pickett took over as the starter in Week 4 against the New York Jets. These numbers indicate Pickens is a preferred target of Pickett in the Steelers' offense.
This season, the Saints defense has allowed the 14th-fewest total passing yards and will not roll over in the face of a first-year signal-caller. That said, it's clear how good the Pickett-To-Pickens combo is, and with an increased role in the offense, Pickens is poised to go off and blossom into an NFL star.
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