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The 2022 regular season is full swing, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the New Orleans Saints in Week 10. While the Steelers get ready for their latest home game of the season, it is time for the BTSC staff to put on their prognostication hats and guess the winner of the contest.
Who will get closest? We will be keeping tabs, so let’s get the picks. Check out the staff picks below:
Jeff Hartman
The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off their bye, and the Saints are coming off a loss on a short week. This is a recipe for a win, in my opinion, and I think the offense has a different feel to it in Week 10. Combine that with the return of T.J. Watt and a stout Steeles defense, and the team does enough to find their third win of the regular season.
Pick: Steelers 23, Saints 17
Dave Schofield
I’m attending this game, so an extra emotional factor comes into play. I look for the Steelers offense to look somewhat better but not to make an insane jump. As for the defense, I expect something similar but maybe a little bit more due to the return of Trent Jordan Watt. Rather than fall quietly into insignificance in the big picture of the NFL, the Steelers hold on for a little bit longer by adding another win.
Pick: Steelers 23, Saints 13
Bryan Anthony Davis
I don’t trust the Steelers to win this game, and there are many reasons to pick against them. But I’m going to unequivocally pick them so I can be right when they finally break out. Is this the week that the sun shines on a dog’s a$$. Is this the week that blind squirrel finds that proverbial nut? I hope so.
Pick: Steelers 31, Saints 27
K.T. Smith
Give Mike Tomlin an extra week to prepare, and history suggests the results will be favorable. The Steelers have won five straight coming off of their bye week, and are 11-4 overall in Tomlin’s tenure as head coach. With an unimpressive Saints squad coming to town nursing injuries to some of their marquee players (Jarvis Landry, Cam Jordan, Marshon Lattimore, Mark Ingram), I expect that trend will continue.
Pick: Steelers 20, Saints 17
Geoffrey Benedict
T.J. Watt returns, and NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.
Pick: Steelers 24, Saints 20
Rich Schofield (Big Bro Scho)
Can the Steelers win this week? (WATT!) Did anything get corrected over the bye week? (WATT!) Can the offense snap out of it’s dismal performances? (WATT?) Can I start a new win streak at Acrisure Stadium? (WATT!) Is there anything else to worry about other than the return of Trent Jordan Watt? (WATT!) If you have been reading the WATT’s in Stone Cold Steve Austin’s voice then you understood the assignment. (WATT!) Steelers pull one out and win my second game in Acrisure Stadium (WATT!.....the first was a preseason game)
Pick: Steelers 24, Saints 19
Shannon White
Will the Steelers offense show any improvement coming off their bye week? Did Matt Canada utilize the extra time to better communicate with the men entrusted to execute his game plan? How close is T.J. Watt to being 100%, and how much of a difference can he make on a restricted snap count? I honestly have no idea. Any hopes I have for this Steelers roster are grounded in reality. I am looking for small incrementally signs of improvement, especially for the offense. I am going to stick with my prediction from our Know Your Enemy podcast on Wednesday.
Pick: Steelers 20, Saints 17
Jeremy Betz
The first act was rough. That’s a fact. But Act II of the Steelers 2022 season offers a fresh chance to prove that this team has a foundation to build on for the future. That starts this week against a beatable Saints team in the friendly confines of Acrisure Stadium.
Andy Dalton hasn’t been an upgrade on Jameis Winston from a turnover perspective, and the Saints D is as inconsistent as they come. If Pittsburgh’s recommitment to the run with a more even split between Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren is successful this week, and T.J. Watt’s return provides the defensive spark we saw in Week 1, the Steelers will start their comeback campaign with a W.
Pick: Steelers 17, Saints 16
Bradley Locker
The advanced metrics show that the Saints are a relatively average football team, but New Orleans’ 3-6 record indicates some disconnect there. Maybe NOLA is due for positive regression, but this feels like a game that the Steelers traditionally win: low-scoring, ugly football. It’s possible that bye week really did restore my optimism, or maybe it’s Andy Dalton’s 3-13 career record against the Steelers, but I’m putting my faith in T.J. Watt and Pittsburgh to earn a victory.
Pick: Steelers 23, Saints 18
Kyle Chrise (What Yinz Talkin’ Bout)
New Orleans has a knack of letting their opponent stick around in any game. Their defense can be sticky at times. Look for fans to interpret their successes as an indictment on Matt Canada. But the Saints’ unforced errors will allow the Matthew Wright era to begin.
Pick: Steelers 16, Saints 13
Anthony Defeo
T.J. Watt is expected to play, which should give the home team a lift. Furthermore, the Saints, who aren’t exactly having a stellar season in their own right, are coming off a short week after losing to the Ravens on Monday Night Football. Couple that with the Steelers coming off what should have been a soul-searching bye week, and it might be a decent day for the majority of the crowd at Acrisure Stadium.
Pick: Steelers 20, Saints 16
What is your prediction? Let us know in the comment section below, and feel free to tell the contributors above why they are dead wrong, or spot on!
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