Scouting the Steelers' Week 10 opponent: New Orleans Saints

For the first time in four weeks, the Steelers play at Acrisure Stadium when they face the New Orleans Saints. They will look to snap a two-game losing streak following road defeats to Miami and Philadelphia.

Here is a look at their Week 10 opponent:

The basics

Coach: Dennis Allen, first season (3-6)

Record: 3-6

Division: NFC South, third place

Wins: Falcons (27-26), Seahawks (39-32), Raiders (24-0)

Losses: Buccaneers (20-10), Panthers (22-14), Vikings (28-25), Bengals (30-26), Cardinals (42-34), Ravens (27-13)

Stat leaders

Passing: Andy Dalton, 124-190, 1,385 yards, 10 TDs

Rushing: Alvin Kamara, 104-443 yards, 1 TD

Receiving: Chris Olave, 43-618 yards, 2 TDs

Tackles: Pete Werner, 73 (52 solo)

Sacks: Demario Davis, 6

Interceptions: Tyrann Mathieu, 2

that AK speed ????#BALvsNO | ????: ESPN (FOX-8 locally) pic.twitter.com/4eq6Lk0Qcz

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 8, 2022

2022 storylines:

• When Sean Payton resigned after 16 seasons, the Saints promoted defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to be his successor. It is Allen’s second stint as an NFL head coach. He was hired by the Oakland Raiders in 2021 but was let go four games into his third season with an 8-28 record. He returned to New Orleans, where he was on the staff from 2006-10, and has been with the Saints ever since.

• Jameis Winston began the season at the Saints’ starting quarterback but was replaced by Andy Dalton after being injured in Week 3. Winston is no longer listed on the injury report, but Allen continues to start Dalton. Although Dalton struggled in a 27-13 loss to Baltimore on Monday night, Allen said he didn’t consider making a quarterback switch.

• With Michael Thomas likely out for the rest of the season because of a toe injury, the wide receiver to watch on the Saints is rookie Chris Olave. The Saints took Olave, a four-year player at Ohio State, with the No. 11 overall pick. Olave got off to such a hot start that he was named NFL offensive rookie of the month for September. He also is the youngest player on the Saints roster.

Chris Olave tonight on MNF:

9 targets
6 receptions
71 yards

And this CLEAN route ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/m49sAzobiw

— PFF NO Saints (@PFF_Saints) November 8, 2022

• Former Shaler and Pitt tight end J.P. Holtz has appeared in six games for the Saints this season, mostly as a run blocker. Holtz was signed off the Saints practice squad in the fourth week of the season. He is in his fourth NFL season. The Saints’ tight end room also includes former Steelers player Nick Vannett.

Last meeting

The Steelers fell out of playoff positioning with a 31-28 loss to the Saints at the Superdome on Dec. 23, 2018. It was the fourth loss in a five-game span for the Steelers and dropped their record to 8-6-1. The Saints, meanwhile, claimed the NFC’s top seed with the win.

The game wasn’t without some controversy. Cornerback Joe Haden was flagged for pass interference twice on questionable calls, and the second one led to the Saints scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 1 minute, 25 seconds left.

Ben Roethlisberger moved the Steelers into field goal range but JuJu Smith-Schuster had the ball stripped from his grasp, and the Saints recovered to prevent the comeback. Antonio Brown, in what would be his final game with the Steelers, caught 14 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

The loss was also notable for this gaffe from Roosevelt Nix on a fake punt:

#Steelers FB Roosevelt Nix celebrated with a first down signal, not realizing he was short of a first down. pic.twitter.com/evE1nxzlqN

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 24, 2018

The Saints have won three in a row in the series and lead the all-time series, 9-7.

Facts and figures

• The Saints are the only team that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin hasn’t beaten in his 16 seasons. He is 0-3 against New Orleans.

• The Saints have scored 84 points in the fourth quarter, an average of 9.3 per game that is tied for most in the NFL.

• The Saints have the worst turnover margin in the NFL at minus-10. The Saints have just two interceptions for the season, both by Tyrann Mathieu. Only the New York Giants (1) have fewer.

• The Saints are averaging 29.7 points with Dalton as the quarterback. Their average with Jameis Winston under center this season is 16.7.