The Pittsburgh Steelers were back in action at home on Sunday afternoon, hosting the New Orleans Saints. These are two teams that have been mainstays in the NFL playoffs for quite some time. That has changed this year as each team entered the game with losing records. Pittsburgh would use a strong defensive game, along with an offense that protected the ball, to pick up a 20-10 victory over New Orleans.
The Steelers got the scoring started with just five minutes left in the first quarter. Wide receiver George Pickens rushed for a 1yd touchdown to put his team ahead. Early in the second Matthew Wright, filling in for an injured Chris Boswell, booted a 33yd field goal to give Pittsburgh a ten point lead. The Saints would battle back to tie the game at the half.
Wil Lutz connected from 44yds to put his team on the board. That was followed up by a 15yd touchdown pass from Andy Dalton to Juwan Johnson with just 23 seconds left in the quarter. After a scoreless third quarter, Pittsburgh would add ten points in the fourth to earn the win. Wright kicked a 33yd field to put the Steelers up three. Kenny Pickett put the game away for good when he rushed for a 1yd touchdown run with over eight minutes left.
Pickett would finish the game going 18-30 for 199yds. Not a great game by any means, but he didn’t turn over the ball and added 51yds of rushing and a touchdown to keep the offense moving. Najee Harris would have his best game of the season, going for 99yds on 20 carries. That is the kind of production Pittsburgh needs from the ground game if they hope to win games for the remainder of the season. Dionte Johnson had the most receivng yards with 63.
The Steelers defense definitely felt the return of TJ Watt to the lineup, as he was key on the pass rush throughout the day. He would have four total tackles, while Alex Highsmith had two sacks. Damontae Kazee and Levi Wallace each had one interception apiece. Up next will be a visit to the North Shore from the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday November 20 at 4:25pm.
Overall Record: 3-6
