Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Curt Popejoy

Winners and losers from Steelers vs Saints

Buy Steelers Tickets

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers got back on track with a 20-10 win over the New Orleans Saints. This was the type of game that gives the fans throwback vibes to those physical Steelers teams of old that played stiff defense and offered up a physical rushing attack. Here are the winners and losers from this week’s game.

Winner-RB Najee Harris

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It was great to see Najee Harris come out and play well on Sunday. Harris had 99 rushing yards, 35 of which came on one carry. But you can see Harris took the time off and worked on his game as he played a much smarter game on Sunday.

Loser-K Matthew Wright

Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

The Steelers opted to release Nick Sciba and sign Matthew Wright to replace Chris Boswell while he is on IR. Wright had a bad day against the Saints with two missed field-goal attempts. He’s very fortunate those missed kicks didn’t figure into the outcome of the game but don’t be shocked if Sciba is back this week to offer some competition.

Winner-LB Robert Spillane

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Spillane started in place of Myles Jack who is dealing with a knee injury. Spillane showed once again that he is underrated in coverage and led the team with seven tackles.

Loser-OT Dan Moore Jr.

(AP Photo/Don Wright)

It was another tough performance for starting left tackle Dan Moore Jr. Moore’s job is safe due to a lack of options but he continues to be the weak link on an improving offensive line.

Winner-LB Alex Highsmith

No player was happier to see T.J. Watt back than Alex Highsmith. With Watt taking up all the attention, Highsmith feasted and finished with two sacks.

Loser-QB Kenny Pickett

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

This one will certainly rub some folks the wrong way but on a day when the defense was playing so well and the run game was grinding out yards, Pickett’s 6.6 yards per attempt and 199 passing yards are underwhelming. Pickett missed several easy throws on Sunday and took more than one sack when he could have taken off and made a play.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.