Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints: 5 Bold predictions for Week 16

NEW ORLEANS, LA - AUGUST 26: Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers stiff arms P.J. Williams #25 of the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on August 26, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

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PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 16: Joe Haden #23 of the Pittsburgh Steelers (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

5. The Steelers shut down Michael Thomas

The Steelers defense has generally been given no credit this season. Even with big names like T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward, the defense is overlooked in favor of their offense. It’s a fair assessment but the Steelers defense looked like the real deal against the Patriots last week. The team managed to pick off Tom Brady, broke up multiple passes and sacked Brady.

Going up against the Saints is something completely different. The Saints offense has been dynamic this season excluding the last few games. One of their biggest names on offense is Michael Thomas. Even though Thomas hasn’t had a touchdown since November, he’s still maintained his chemistry with Drew Brees.

Considering how well the Steelers defense played last week, I predict they will shut down Thomas. Most notably, his touchdown drought will continue and the team will hold him to less than 10 receptions. It’s not going to be easy, but the team was able to shut down Rob Gronkowski last week and that’s not an easy feat either

Right now, the Steelers defense is gaining momentum and they need to take advantage of it. Joe Haden will likely be the one covering Thomas and he had a big game last week. That’s no doubt going to be a matchup worth keeping your eye on.

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