The Saints are in desperate need of a win -- several of them, if we're being honest -- and one of its best chances could come this week.
That's because the Saints defense is meeting a Steelers squad that is seeing significant struggles of its own and is starting a rookie in quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Deuce McAllister joined SportsTalk this week to break down the keys to the Saints getting a win in the matchup:
"If you allow the quarterback to feel comfortable, you're going to have a problem. And that's just being honest. They're looking at the saints and saying, 'Man, we can beat the saints. We should beat the saints.' That's what they're looking at.
"You're gonna get simulated pressure, you're gonna get 4-man pressure, you're gonna get 5-man pressure. They're gonna run overload, they're gonna run strong right. They're gonna run weak, and they want to see, can you pick it up. They're gonna run the same pick play, they'll have one of the linebackers, he'll hit the guard. The the nose tackle, or the 3-technique, he's gonna wrap. If you can't pick it up, then they're gonna continue to run it. Exactly what you saw this past weekend, they will give you similar looks. They want to see if you've adjusted and you can pick up blitz.
"That's what it's gonna come down to. And at some point, they're gonna say, okay, we're just gonna run zero. We're gonna see if you check to a screen. We did one run one the other day, but I mean, you didn't pick up a first down. But they want to see how you operate, and can you keep your quarterback upright. And then for them, they're gonna test you. They're gonna say, 'hey, look, we want to run the ball a little bit, but we want to also see if you can tackle in space.' And if you don't make their quarterback feel uncomfortable, it's gonna be a long day for us up in Pennsylvania.
Listen to the full interview with Deuce McAllister on SportsTalk in the player above. Can't see the player above? Click here.
