With the end of the NFL regular season nearing on the horizon, the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 13 clash against the Arizona Cardinals will go a long way toward solidifying their status as a playoff team. The Steelers are currently 7-4, 1.5 games back in the AFC North while slotting into the playoffs at the #5 seed as the top Wild Card team.
Ahead of the Steelers-Cardinals game, we’ll be making our Steelers Week 13 predictions. While this should be an easy contest on paper, the Cardinals have shown considerable fight this season despite their 2-10 record, defeating the Dallas Cowboys and pushing probable playoff teams like the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans to the brink. What can we expect from the Steelers this weekend? Find out in our Steelers Week 13 predictions.
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Najee Harris will have his first 100-yard rushing game of the season
At one point in the season, Najee Harris and the Steelers running game were nonexistent. Through seven games, the Steelers averaged a measly 79 yards per contest on the ground. Harris posted just 44.7 yards per game during this stretch, managing only 3.7 yards per carry. Harris received considerable flack for his lack of production, but he could not do much when the offensive line was not opening up lanes for him.
Yet in recent weeks, this rushing attack has experienced a rebirth. Since Week 9, Jaylen Warren has led the NFL in rushing yards while Najee Harris is tied for fifth during that period. Harris' average is up to 4.83 yards per attempt, and he was a yard away from breaking the century mark last week. The third-year man is averaging 71 rushing yards in those four games compared to Warren's 91 yards and two 100-yard showings.
The Steelers backfield will be licking its chops at its matchup this weekend with the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have given up the second-most rushing yards this season to opposing running backs including 226 yards last week to the Los Angeles Rams. Starter Kyren Williams gouged this defense for 143 yards on just 16 carries (nearly nine yards per attempt) while backup Royce Freeman added another 13 carries for 77 yards. Arizona has been solid against the pass as well, which means that Pittsburgh will look to grind away on the ground.
The Steelers defense will fail to slow down Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
The Steelers defense has been highly effective in recent weeks, it also has faced a plethora of weak offenses. In the last four weeks, this Steelers defense has faced Tennessee Titans rookie Will Levis, first-year starter Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers, rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson of the Cleveland Browns making his first career start, and Jake Browning of the Cincinnati Bengals — also making his NFL debut. That is hardly a murderer's row of QBs.
Kyler Murray is the only difficult quarterback the Steelers will have faced for a few weeks and the only one they will face until they travel to Baltimore in Week 18 to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Murray has already been back to his old self in his return from the IR, averaging 239.7 passing yards per game — right in line with his career average — plus 14 carries for 86 yards. He also has a rushing touchdown in all three games he has played this year.
Murray also has a solid group of offensive weapons around him. Receivers Marquise Brown and Michael Wilson are both downfield threats, while rookie tight end Trey McBride's recent breakout has added another weapon to this passing attack. The Cardinals offer former Steelers running back James Conner. Conner has found running room at a premium since his return from the IR, but he will be hungry to exert revenge his his first game against his former team.
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