Here are our big takeaways from the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-10 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Najee Harris listened
Najee Harris has been the target of plenty of criticism this season and rightfully so. But on Sunday you could see how Harris adjusted his rushing style a bit and flourished. Harris kept his feet moving, limited the number of stops and jump cuts and stayed behind his pads. This type of growth and effort was rewarded with 99 yards rushing on 20 carries.
Kenny Pickett was smart and took a beating for it
Quarterback Kenny Pickett finished with 199 yards passing and 51 more rushing. Pickett rushed for one touchdown and most importantly did not turn the football over. The downside of his day was the absolute beating he took to the tune of six sacks. Several of these were directly on the offensive line but Pickett also opted to hold onto the football a little longer as opposed to forcing a throw and it ended up getting himself hit.
The T.J. Watt effect is real
Even with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick out the Steelers secondary looked tremendous. Why? Because of the return of outside linebacker T.J. Watt. Watt commands so much attention it opens up everything for the rest of the Steelers defense.
It was the Saints
I know a lot of the overreaction to this game will be about how the Steelers are back but everyone should temper their enthusiasm. This wasn’t a good Saints team and Pittsburgh was at home. Celebrate the win but keep it in perspective that this was a game the Steelers should have won and they did.
