PITTSBURGH — Kicking off the second half of their season, the Steelers emerged from the off week and turned to their instant victory formula: Just add Watt.
T.J. Watt’s return wasn’t the only reason they fended off the Saints for a 20-10 win Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, but it sure seemed as if the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year provided a spark in his first game since Week 1. The Steelers brought the splash plays on offense, won the turnover battle and kept a lid on it — as Mike Tomlin likes to say — against a struggling Saints offense.
Kenny Pickett wasn’t overly sharp, especially early, but saved some of his best work for the fourth quarter to engineer a touchdown drive and finish with 199 yards on 18-of-30 passing — plus a not-at-all insignificant 53 yards rushing. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren did their parts, too, rushing for 99 and 37 yards, respectively, to help the Steelers average 5.2 per carry. Andy Dalton, longtime Bengals quarterback, fell to 3-14 all-time facing the Steelers.
Watt tallied four tackles and one quarterback hit, and his impact tailed off a bit in the second half, but he looked shot out of a cannon at times in his 2022 debut on the North Shore. It’s a good sign for his health and production for the stretch run.
It was over when: Levi Wallace picked off Andy Dalton deep down the right sideline with 4:30 to go and the Steelers managed to put the game away via the ground on the ensuing possession.
Player of the game: Damontae Kazee. Getting a full plate in his first regular season game with the Steelers, Kazee started in place of Minkah Fizpatrick at safety, and all he did was come up with the biggest defensive play of the game with a fourth-quarter interception. That was a bit of redemption for Kazee, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness late in the second quarter, setting up a game-tying touchdown for the Saints on the next play.
Trending up: Arthur Maulet. Sticking with the secondary, Maulet had a strong game as the slot cornerback, and did it against his hometown team. Maulet even began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Saints, and his pass breakup deep downfield on star rookie receiver Chris Olave was a thing of beauty. He’ll be needed much more in coverage given all the cornerback issues the Steelers have at the moment.
Trending down: Matthew Wright. The kicker the Steelers added to replace Chris Boswell had a rough day, missing two field goals and having one nearly blocked. Because Wright was signed to the active roster from the Chiefs practice squad, he must remain on the team for at least three games, which could put the Steelers in a tough situation if they don’t trust his right leg. A rematch with the Bengals next Sunday nigh... wait, no, make that Sunday afternoon at 4:25 p.m. In an odd scheduling quirk, the Steelers will face Cincinnati a second time before facing the Ravens for a first time this season.
