New Orleans Saints (4-7) at Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4)

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh – TV: FOX

*TV announcers: Thom Brennaman, Donovan McNabb, Charissa Thompson

*Keys to the game: Rob Ryan figures to join his brother, Rex, in the unemployment line in five weeks barring an unlikely turnaround from his woeful Saints defense.

New Orleans ranks 23rd against both the pass and run, and 27th in overall defense. The Saints don’t tackle well and suffer far too many assignment breakdowns – a lethal combination with the Steelers at home, fresh off their bye and featuring an offense that can be alternately explosive with RB Le’Veon Bell or QB Ben Roethlisberger leading the charge. The biggest problem for Pittsburgh is they rarely click at the same time, leaving the offense too skewed toward one side or the other.

The Saints are known for their vertical shots in the passing game, but the table must first be set by the league’s sixth-ranked ground game. Pittsburgh allows 4.3 yards per carry, but does get SS Troy Polamalu back in the lineup. Saints QB Drew Brees has not received strong protection in passing situations and will be vulnerable even against the Steelers’ modest pass rush if New Orleans falls in an early hole.

*Matchup to watch – Saints WR Marques Colston vs. Steelers CB Ike Taylor: The pair of wily veterans will see plenty of snaps against each other on the left side of the Saints’ offense. Taylor returns for the first time since suffering a fractured forearm in Week 3.

*Player spotlight – Saints NT John Jenkins: With Broderick Bunkley suffering a quad injury, Jenkins was a nonfactor who too often lost leverage and was push backward against Baltimore on Monday night. Look for the physical Bell to do plenty of damage against the interior of the Saints’ defensive line.

*Fast facts: Saints RB Mark Ingram leads the NFL with 486 rushing yards since Week 8. … Bell needs four receiving yards to pass Merril Hoge (487 in 1988) for the most by a Steelers’ running back in the Super Bowl era.

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY

The NFL schedule makers did the Saints no favors sending them on the road following a Monday night game to play an opponent coming off its bye week. More important, New Orleans has one road win all season and a defense powerless to contain a Steelers offense that can be explosive running or passing.

*Our pick: Steelers 31-24