PLAYER NOTES
–RB James Conner, who has missed the past two games with an ankle injury, did not practice Wednesday and it does not appear he will be able to play against the Saints.
–S Terrell Edmunds is in the concussion protocol. He was limited in practice Wednesday.
–DE Cameron Heyward hyper-extended his knee against the Patriots, but he went through a full practice Wednesday.
–OLB Bud Dupree suffered a knee contusion against the Patriots. He did not practice Wednesday.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR James Washington has endured a trying rookie season, but he had his best game at the most important time against the Patriots. Washington had six catches for 65 yards, including a 32-yarder when he leaped into the air and snatched it away from his defender. The Steelers have been searching for a viable No. 3 receiver all season and if Washington can continue to develop, he will make the Steelers offense all that much more potent.
GAME PLAN: The Steelers profess not to take care about pass-run ratio, but when they are more balanced they tend to win more. There was no better example of that than against the Patriots when they were equally effective on the ground as they were in the air. They ran 25 times for 158 yards and passed 34 times for 218 yards. It wasn’t the prolific offense fans have come to expect out of the Steelers, but it was a winning formula. They’ll need to do the same against the Saints even though the Saints own the league’s top rush defense. It will be tough to win in the Superdome being totally reliant on the pass.
The Steelers defense used a lot of man coverage schemes to beat the Patriots and they could employ a similar scheme against the Saints. Drew Brees has struggled in recent weeks and the Steelers will stick with what’s working. Their pass rush will be important again this week. They only recorded one sack against the Patriots, but they had consistent pressure throughout the game. They’ll need that again versus a Saints offense that will be looking to get back on track in their familiar surroundings after three consecutive road games.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
–Steelers CB Joe Haden vs. Saints WR Michael Thomas. Thomas is the top target for quarterback Drew Brees with 109 catches for 1,267 yards and eight touchdowns, but he has not had over 100 receiving yards since a Week 9 game against the Rams. Haden has to keep Thomas quiet. He is coming off one of his best games of the season against the Patriots when he recorded a team-high 12 tackles and had an interception midway through the fourth quarter that preserved the win against the Patriots.
–Steelers RB Jaylen Samuels vs. Saints LB Demario Davis. Samuels had 172 yards of total offense against the Patriots, including 142 on the ground. He’ll be facing the NFL’s top rush defense that is led by Davis, a free agent who has helped make that happen. Davis leads the Saints in tackles and will be tasked with keeping an eye on Samuels when he leaks out of the backfield as a receiver. Samuels is just as dangerous as a receiver. He is averaging 9.3 yards per reception and has two receiving touchdowns. Expect Samuels to have a role in this game even if James Conner returns after missing two games with an ankle injury.