Saints vs. Steelers: Complete Week 13 Preview for New Orleans

The New Orleans Saints will attempt to snap a three-game losing streak Sunday as they hit the road to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

New Orleans (4-7) lost all three contests during its recent homestand, but coach Sean Payton’s squad still has a realistic chance of emerging as division champs in the lowly NFC South.

The Saints are currently tied with the Atlanta Falcons, but the Falcons hold the tiebreaker thanks to their Week 1 triumph over New Orleans. The two teams meet again in Week 16.

Payton’s sole focus this week, however, is on defeating a quality Steelers club on its home turf.

Pittsburgh (7-4) is coming off of a bye week, and coach Mike Tomlin’s club will be looking to keep pace in the AFC North. Each team in the rugged division has seven wins on the season, and Sunday’s home contest will therefore be crucial for the Steelers.

Continue reading for a full preview of this Week 13 matchup, which kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT.

Week 12 Recap

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New Orleans fell to the Baltimore Ravens, 34-27, in Week 12 on Monday Night Football. The loss marked the first time since 1997 that the Saints have dropped three straight at home.

Baltimore was powered by the running of Justin Forsett, who ripped through the Saints defense from start to finish. Forsett finished with 182 rushing yards and two scores on the night, as New Orleans defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s beleaguered unit was unable to slow him down.

After the first quarter ended in a 7-7 tie, the Ravens took the lead on a 13-yard touchdown run by Forsett. New Orleans answered with a field goal and then took its first lead of the game just before half when Drew Brees ran the two-minute drill to perfection and tossed a scoring pass to Marques Colston just before halftime.

Things went south quickly for the Saints early in the third quarter, however, as Brees threw a costly interception that was returned for a touchdown by Baltimore’s Will Hill. The Ravens never looked back after that, as Forsett continued to pound the New Orleans defense, while Joe Flacco lit up the Saints secondary with big plays to Torrey Smith and Steve Smith Sr.

With the Ravens up 34-20 late in the contest, Brees connected with Jimmy Graham for a score, but New Orleans was unable to recover the onside kick, and the Saints came up short in front of their home crowd yet again.

News and Notes

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Saints-Steelers Series

These two squads don’t see each other often, as they’ve met just 14 times dating back to the Saints’ inaugural season in 1967.

The series is dead even at seven wins apiece, and Sunday’s contest at Heinz Field will break the tie.

New Orleans won the last meeting, as Payton’s Saints triumphed over Tomlin’s squad, 20-10, on Halloween night in 2010.

In 2006, the Bill Cowher-led Steelers emerged victorious in a shootout, 38-31, in the teams’ last meeting at Heinz Field.

Quarterback Battle Brewing

Sunday’s matchup will feature two of the game’s top quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger.

The two signal-callers have three Super Bowl rings between them. Pittsburgh has hoisted the Lombardi Trophy twice with Roethlisberger at the helm, while Brees has the only Super Bowl MVP award between the two.

Both quarterbacks have posted prolific numbers this season, and fans could be in for an aerial show Sunday, as Brees and Roethlisberger commandeer the NFL’s third- and fourth-ranked passing offenses.

Roethlisberger has thrown for over 3,200 yards in 2014, and he’s tossed 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Brees, meanwhile, has just under 3,500 yards and 22 touchdowns, but his 11 interceptions have plagued the Saints in a big way this season, often in crucial moments of games.

Brees and Roethlisberger both have one victory in head-to-head meetings with their current teams, although Roethlisberger's Steelers posted a win over Brees and the San Diego Chargers back in 2005.

Lewis Returns to Pittsburgh

Sunday’s contest will hold a little extra meaning for Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis. The New Orleans native began his career in Pittsburgh, where he spent four seasons with the Steelers after being selected in the third round of the 2009 draft.

He was pursued by the Saints as a free agent in 2013, and he eventually signed with his hometown team.

Lewis has been the Saints’ top cover man from day one, and he’s posted 75 tackles and five interceptions since joining the club.

Injury Report

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The Saints announced a key roster move Thursday, as they placed starting nose tackle Brodrick Bunkley on injured reserve, according to the team’s site, NewOrleansSaints.com. Bunkley suffered a leg injury Monday night against the Ravens, and he’ll be replaced on the roster by Lawrence Virgil, an undrafted rookie who was called up from the practice squad.

New Orleans has other notable injuries, according to the team, and they were listed on Thursday’s injury report on the team's official site, NewOrleansSaints.com. Running back Khiry Robinson continues to miss practice with a forearm injury, and reserve linebacker Kyle Knox (hand) was also absent from Thursday’s practice.

Four Saints starters were limited in workouts Thursday, including guard Ben Grubbs (neck), linebacker Curtis Lofton (ankle), cornerback Keenan Lewis (knee) and center Jonathan Goodwin (toe).

Matchups to Watch

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Keenan Lewis vs. Antonio Brown

One of the must-see matchups of this contest will pit the Saints’ top cover man against Antonio Brown, who’s one of the NFL’s most prolific wide receivers.

These two undoubtedly faced off countless times in practice during Lewis’ tenure in Pittsburgh, and they’ll be duking it out in front of a full stadium Sunday afternoon.

Brown has already eclipsed the 1,100-yard receiving mark this season, and he leads the NFL with 88 receptions. Lewis, who’s been battling an injury since Week 10, has 11 passes defended to go with an interception.

The Saints don’t have another corner who can match up with the explosive Steelers wideout, so New Orleans defensive coordinator Rob Ryan could allow Lewis to follow Brown in shadow coverage.

John Jenkins vs. Maurkice Pouncey

Due to the aforementioned injury to Bunkley, the Saints are down a starting nose tackle, and John Jenkins will likely be called upon to step in and fill the void.

At 359 pounds, there aren’t many voids Jenkins can’t fill, but size is hardly the only factor that plays into the success of a defensive lineman. The former Georgia Bulldog must keep his pad level low and not allow opposing blockers to take him out of the play, as the Ravens did quite frequently last Monday night.

As the nose tackle in Ryan’s defense, Jenkins will often line head-up with Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey as a 0-technique. He could also face Pittsburgh guards Ramon Foster and David DeCastro on some plays, but his primary responsibility will be to control the point of attack when Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell attempts to dart through the A-gaps.

Jenkins will be relieved at times by Brandon Deaderick, but he’ll still have a huge role in the Saints run defense, and he’ll have to play much better than he did against Baltimore.

Saints Offensive Line vs. Steelers Front Seven

Brees was hit eight times against Baltimore, and he was thrown to the Superdome carpet for sacks on four occasions.

If the Saints are to have a chance this Sunday, they must keep their quarterback standing upright, which will be easier said than done against Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau’s talented front seven.

The Steelers will be coming after Brees early and often, and even though they only have 20 sacks on the season, LeBeau’s defense has to like its chances after watching Monday night’s pathetic pass-blocking effort by the Saints offensive line.

Right tackle Zach Strief and Co. will have to protect the edge against Pittsburgh pass-rushers Cameron Heyward and Jason Worilds, or else Brees could take a pounding at Heinz Field.

Prediction

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The Steelers have a lot to play for in this Week 13 matchup, and they aren’t likely to overlook New Orleans simply because the Saints come in with an unimpressive record.

Ryan’s defense has had its share of difficulties with balanced offenses such as Pittsburgh’s, and facing Le’Veon Bell isn’t exactly the best medicine for an ailing defense.

The Saints will battle hard in this one, and Brees and the offense should be able to put up some points, but the Steelers are simply a better overall football team at this point in the season, and they aren’t likely to show up flat at home.

Prediction: Steelers 34, Saints 24