3 Takeaways from Steelers' Week 10 Win vs. Saints

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up their third win of the season in a dominant performance over the New Orleans Saints.

Pittsburgh got a significant boost coming out of the bye with the return from injury of reigning Defensive Player of the Year, T.J. Watt.

The Steelers also saw a resurgence in the running game. They produced 217 yards on the ground, allowing them to control the tempo and limit the opportunities of an injury-hampered Saints defense.

The result was a convincing 20-10 win, something that has been a rarity during this largely lost season.

The Steelers sit at 3-6 and are long shots to make the postseason. However, they showed on Sunday that they're still capable of imposing their will on an opponent, and no one should take them lightly down the stretch.

Here are our three biggest takeaways from Pittsburgh's victory over New Orleans in Week 10.

Watt made his return from the torn pectoral he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. While he didn't log a sack in his return, he harassed Saints quarterback Andy Dalton on several occasions and provided the Steelers defense with a tangible spark.

This was one of Pittsburgh's best defensive performances of the season. The Saints finished with just 186 total yards, went 3-of-12 on third down and were blanked in the second half.

A pair of fourth-quarter interceptions helped seal the game for the Steelers.

Granted, the New Orleans offense hasn't been very good this season—and it was without Michael Thomas, Andrus Peat and Mark Ingram II—but Watt brought an energy to the proceedings, and the Steelers capitalized.

The defense is just different when the Wisconsin product is in the lineup.

On a down note, Watt's return came after news broke that star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick would miss the game following an appendectomy. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, he could be out for multiple weeks.

"Fitzpatrick did not feel well at practice, and tests revealed that he needed to undergo the appendectomy as quickly as possible, a source said," he wrote. "...The Steelers are hoping that Fitzpatrick can make it back as quickly as possible, but an appendectomy typically results in a multiweek absence."

Watt's return couldn't have come at a more critical juncture for Pittsburgh.

Offensively, the big story of the day was Najee Harris' redemptive performance. The 2021 rookie Pro Bowler has largely been ineffective in 2022, but he had his best performance of the year against New Orleans.

The 24-year-old finished with 99 rushing yards and averaged a season-high 5.0 yards per carry. Does this mean he will be back to Pro Bowl form for the second half of the season? Perhaps not. The Saints have struggled against the run all season, surrendering an average of 4.6 yards per carry.

The more realistic take is that Harris has found his long-term complement in undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren, who has flashed in recent games and had another strong outing as Pittsburgh's change of pace on Sunday.

The Oklahoma State product, 24, finished with three receptions, 40 receiving yards and 37 rushing yards.

Harris hasn't fared well when trying to carry the ground game this season, but he appeared much more effective when leading a true committee in Week 10. He logged 20 carries, while Warren had 12 touches, George Pickens chipped in a pair of carries and quarterback Kenny Pickett scrambled eight times.

Fullback Derek Watt and wideout Steven Sims logged two carries apiece, leaving Harris to take just 20 of 43 team carries. That may be the right sort of split for Pittsburgh, and Warren is carving out a well-deserved role in the rotation. Expect him to be more than just a one-year contributor.

The Steelers got creative in the ground game and leaned heavily on the run. That was great to see after weeks of Matt Canada's offense being lifeless and predictable. It was also necessary, as the passing attack continues to underwhelm.

Pickett did shine as a scrambler (51 yards, 1 TD), but the rookie has shown little progress as a passer this season.

"I haven't seen him make any discernible progress since he got in that Jets game," Mark Madden said on his Madden Monday podcast (h/t Tim Benz of TribLive).

The 24-year-old has largely performed like a younger version of Mitch Trubisky, in that his legs have been his most consistent asset. He did avoid an interception for only the second time this season—he has eight in six games—but he completed just 18 of 30 attempts for 199 yards with a 79.7 rating.

Pocket presence remains a problem for Pickett, who was sacked six times on Sunday.

To be fair, the Pitt product has rarely been supported by a serviceable rushing attack, and the Steelers offensive line is terrible. However, in his two wins—he had just 67 passing yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—the Steelers have largely won in spite of Pickett, not because of him.

Expect Pittsburgh to still give quarterbacks consideration as the 2023 draft approaches.