Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in Steelers' Week 13 Contest with Saints

The race for the playoffs is heating up, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints are both in the heart of a battle for a division championship. However, how these two teams got there could not be any more different.

The Steelers (7-4) are in a highly competitive race for the AFC North crown. All four teams have seven wins, and this division will likely come down to the final week of the season. That is a stark contrast from the NFC South, which is easily the worst division in football.

New Orleans (4-7) sits only behind the four-win Atlanta Falcons for the lead in the division. Despite having one of the best offenses in the entire league, the Saints have lost three games in a row and will try to pick up just their second road win on Sunday when they visit Heinz Field.

Regardless of their records, the Steelers and Saints will be a competitive matchup between two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. A win for either team will bring that team one-step closer to a division crown, while a loss will push it toward a missed playoff appearance.

Here are the key matchups to watch for in the Week 13 contest between the Steelers and Saints.

Mike Mitchell vs. Jimmy Graham

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

The New Orleans Saints bring the third-ranked passing offense to Heinz Field on Sunday and will look to use the aerial attack against Pittsburgh’s secondary. One of the primary weapons will be Jimmy Graham.

By his standards, Graham is having a “down” season with 65 receptions for 670 yards and nine touchdowns. For most tight ends those numbers are outstanding, but not for Graham. That does not mean he won’t be a threat on Sunday.

Pittsburgh’s defense has struggled against tight ends, with eight of the 19 touchdown passes allowed going to tight ends, per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. With Graham’s ability to play tight end or wide receiver, the Steelers defense will have an even tougher challenge on Sunday.

At 6’7” and 265 pounds, Graham is virtually impossible to stop. One of the reasons why is because no individual defender can match up with his combination of size and athletic ability. Rather than try to eliminate him from the game, Dick LeBeau will instead have to look for a way to contain Graham.

Mike Mitchell will one of the defenders asked to cover Graham. He has tremendous speed and has a physical element to his game that should bode well against the star tight end.

Scott Brown of ESPN.com spoke with Mitchell in regard to defending Graham, and here is what he had to say:

“Mitchell told me that Graham is a lot like Antonio Brown, the Steelers Pro Bowl wide receiver, and that it is going to be impossible to completely take him out of the game. Mitchell said the key to minimizing the damage Graham inflicts on the Steelers defense is to get physical with him and try to disrupt his pass routes as much as possible.”

Even if the Steelers have a sound game plan to stop Graham, they recognize that he will be difficult to stop. Last week, the Baltimore Ravens took a physical approach when they played Graham, yet he was still able to do plenty of damage with six receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns.

However, they were able to contain him for much of the game with safety Will Hill. Hill told Christopher Dabe of The Times-Picayune about his approach to defending Graham:

"

With a guy like Graham, you have to be physical with him," Hill said. "He's a big guy. He doesn't expect anybody get up on him. He would expect an outside linebacker, or a linebacker, to hit him. A defensive back, he tries to bully. I think I caught him off guard.

"

A physical game from Mitchell will not be enough. The Steelers must also involve Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons to disrupt Graham from his routes. The combined effort from these players may be enough to limit Graham’s overall impact on the game.

Ike Taylor vs. Marques Colston

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Big plays have plagued the Steelers this year, and this week they must defend against an aggressive offense that likes to take chances downfield.

Pittsburgh’s defense has allowed 40 passes of 20 yards or more, according to NFL.com. Drew Brees has 34 completions of 20 yards or more. Marques Colston not only leads the team in this category with 12 receptions, but he averages 16.3 yards per reception.

Colston is a big-play threat, and the Steelers do not want allow him to get loose so this game turns into a shootout. At 6’4”, he is a tough wide receiver to defend, but the Steelers are getting some help with the return of Ike Taylor, per Scott Brown of ESPN.com.

The 6’1” Taylor will be rusty after missing nine weeks with a broken forearm. However, his return could not come at a better time, as Steelers' 16th-ranked pass defense has to go against a Saints offense which averages nearly 309 yards per game in the air.

Taylor has the size and speed to run with Colston, but it will be his physical play that will make the difference. As they will do with Graham, Taylor can use a physical approach against Colston to disrupt his timing with Brees and limit the big plays from the passing game.

Antonio Brown vs. Keenan Lewis

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Antonio Brown has established himself as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL, and he will need to shine once again this week.

With two potent offenses at Heinz Field on Sunday, this game has the potential to be a shootout. And if it is, Brown will be a major part of it for Pittsburgh’s offense. He will face former Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis in what figures to be a matchup that heavily favors Pittsburgh’s leading receiver.

Brown’s quickness in and out of breaks is far superior to what Lewis has displayed throughout his career. This gives Brown a huge advantage on his routes and could mean a big day.

As a whole, the New Orleans pass defense has struggled in 2014. It allows 253.3 passing yards per game, and this should play right into Pittsburgh’s hands. Ben Roethlisberger is playing as well as he ever has, and Brown is a major part of that.

Defenses key on Brown each week, yet he manages to shine. Now he gets to face a cornerback he is very familiar with and one who cannot match his quickness. What he will have to watch for, though, is Lewis’ physical game, via Scott Brown:

“I’m looking forward to seeing him again and getting the opportunity to compete against him,” said Antonio Brown. “He's playing on the line and has been really good down the field, combative with his hands.” 

As good as Lewis has played this year, Brown has been better. He has performed well against every cornerback he has faced this year, and that pattern does not figure to change this week.

Ben Roethlisberger vs. Drew Brees

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The most exciting matchup of the day is one that will not go head-to-head.

Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees are two of the top quarterbacks in the league and are in charge of two of the top offenses in the league. The Saints rank second with 433.6 yards per game, while the Steelers are fifth in the NFL with an average of 406.4 yards per game.

With each defense susceptible to big plays, this game has a strong possibility of being a shootout. That should have both quarterbacks excited, as each has plenty of receiving weapons at his disposal.

	Roethlisberger	Brees
Games	11	11
Pass Attempts	413	462
Pass Completions	282	325
Completion Percentage	68.3	70.3
Yards	3,270	3,491
Touchdowns	24	22
Interceptions	6	11
Times Sacked	30	17
Passer Rating	105.3	98.1

When it comes to overall point production, the Steelers and Saints are tied for seventh with 26.2 points per game. Even when comparing the stats, both quarterbacks are on a relatively even playing field.

Brees has a slight edge in completion percentage and total yards, but Roethlisberger has more touchdowns and fewer interceptions. It is Roethlisberger’s efficiency in 2014 that gives him the edge in this game.

Turnovers are huge in regard to the outcome of games, and the quarterback who takes care of the ball better will be the one who comes out on top. Neither team can afford to miss a scoring opportunity in what figures to be a high-scoring affair.

This game could come down to the quarterback who has the ball last, and as great as each quarterback has played in 2014, Roethlisberger has been better.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com, and all roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com.  

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