Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Pittsburgh 29 at New Orleans 32 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Pittsburgh Steelers: QB Tommy Maddox looked solid. He finished 22/38 for 268 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He made a few bad decisions but all in all he had a very good day and looks ten times as good as Kordell Stewart has looked in this offense all year. RB Jerome Bettis put up good numbers averaging 4.4 yards per carry (19 rushes for 84 yards) with the longest rush being 13 yards so it's not like he padded the ypc number. But he still appears slow and didn't seem to look quite as good as his numbers indicate. The Pittsburgh pass defense is dreadful. They put little pressure on Aaron Brooks. The secondary looked pathetic and wide receivers are often wide open. New Orleans Saints: Aaron Brooks looks very comfortable in the pocket and is looking much more to throw than to run. He attempted only 3 rushes and had 0 yards rushing. He was very efficient but New Orleans seemed content to run the ball down the Steelers' throats. Brooks probably could have thrown for many more yards in this game had he needed to. Deuce McAllister was the keystone of the Saints' offense. He rushed 23 times for 123 yards (2 TDs) and looked fast. Moreover he gained a lot of yards up the middle and ran with strength as well. Sometimes his speed makes it easy to forget that he is 6'1' and 222 pounds. Jerome Pathon caught only two balls one of them was a 15 yard touchdown. The other was a 64-yarder in which he was wide open and taken down at the 1 yard line. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Pittsburgh Steelers QB: Tommy Maddox played an excellent game. He finished 22/38 for 268 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He fumbled on their first drive but it came more because of mis-communication on the snap count. The right side of the Steeler line didn't move on the snap and Maddox was overwhelmed. He made a few bad decisions into double coverage that were not picked off but his luck ran out on an ugly pass thrown on the run, across his body, across the field. But all in all he had a very good day and looks ten times as good as Kordell Stewart has looked in this offense all year. RB: Jerome Bettis put up good numbers averaging 4.4 yards per carry (19 rushes for 84 yards) with the longest rush being 13 yards so it's not like he padded the ypc number. But he didn't seem to look quite as good as his numbers indicate. He moved slowly on a reverse and ruined the flow of the play resulting in a 10 yard loss. Amos Zereoue averaged 7.0 yards per carry (35 yards on 5 carries). Zereoue also caught three passes for 84 yards and looks explosive. Zereoue caught a screen pass for a 50 yard gain which was the longest play from scrimmage for Pittsburgh all year. WR: Antwaan Randle El was very active and continues to get looks. He caught 5 passes for 48 yards and was targeted 7 times. Plaxico Burress caught 4 passes for 59 yards and was targeted 7 times. Definitely looks to be benefiting from the QB change. He got behind double coverage in the red zone for a beautiful touchdown. Hines Ward appeared to be Maddox's security blanket in crucial situations. He caught 5 passes for 45 yards. Had a very nice touchdown catch. He was targeted 7 times as well including on a 2-point try. Terrence Mathis got involved late in the 4th quarter when the Steelers were trying to catch up and caught 2 passes for 20 yards. Unless they go to a spread formation his value is probably low because the top 3 wide receivers are doing nothing to diminish their playing time. TE: Mark Bruener got some looks in key situations but only caught 3 passes for 12 yards. There are just too many other options to throw to in this offense. Steeler Pass Defense: The Pittsburgh pass defense is dreadful. They put no pressure on Aaron Brooks and sacked him only twice. The secondary looks pathetic and wide receivers are often wide open. Horn and Pathon seemed to be able to catch passes at will. Even on a play when the front 4 put pressure on Brooks and he threw into double coverage, two defensive backs collided and couldn't make an interception. They forced no turnovers all day. Steeler Rush Defense: They gave up a lot of decent runs to McAllister and allowed him to break some explosive gains as well. This unit should no longer be considered an elite defense. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** New Orleans Saints QB: Aaron Brooks looks very comfortable in the pocket and is looking much more to throw than to run. He attempted only 3 rushes and had 0 yards rushing. He was very efficient but New Orleans seemed content to run the ball down the Steelers' throats. Brooks probably could have thrown for many more yards if New Orleans had needed him to. RB: Deuce McAllister was the keystone of the Saints' offense. He rushed 23 times for 123 yards and looked fast. Moreover he gained a lot of yards up the middle and ran with strength as well. Sometimes his speed makes it easy to forget that he is 6'1' and 222 pounds. WR: Joe Horn didn't seem to be too bothered by the knee injury from last week. He was Brooks' favorite target again catching 6 passes for 70 yards but he did not score. Again, he could have had many more catches and yards but the running game was so effective Brooks didn't have to pass that often. Jerome Pathon caught only two balls one of them was a 15 yard touchdown. The other was a 64-yarder in which he was wide open and taken down at the 1 yard line. TE: David Sloan caught 1 pass for 8 yards. It was the only time he was looked at all day. Pass Defense: The Saints only had 5 sacks coming into the game and they racked up 2 in the first quarter one of which resulted in a fumble. They set the tone early but played very loose in the second half when they had a lead. They did put a rush on Maddox in the 4th quarter forcing him to throw an interception. Rush Defense: Often times they penetrated the vaulted Steeler line to stop Bettis for no gain but they gave up 120 yards rushing. Special Teams: John Carney finally got some field goal opportunities and converted on all 4 of them.