Steelers get ready for Brees, Saints

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

This is one week where the Pittsburgh Steelers are truly convinced that numbers lie.

Glance at an NFL statistics sheet, and it appears the Steelers (5-1) simply won’t be able to keep up with the New Orleans Saints (4-3) during their Sunday night matchup of the past two Super Bowl champions.

The Saints, thanks to quarterback Drew Brees, are No. 1 with a 69.7 pass completion rate. The Steelers are fifth from the bottom among defenses, allowing opponents to complete 66.2 percent of their passes. During the fourth quarter, the Steelers rank a dreadful 31st as opponents complete nearly 70 percent of their passes.

Coach Mike Tomlin’s take on all this? So much for statistics.

“I’m less concerned about what stats may potentially tell us because we all know, in many instances, they lie,” Tomlin said.

What skews the Steelers’ numbers is that nobody runs the ball on them. They allow an average of 63.7 yards rushing, and no opposing back has gained more than 48 yards.

Can’t run, and the only alternative is to pass.

“Around here, it’s always been about stopping the run, in any defense we call,” safety Troy Polamalu said. “If our defense starts getting that bad, I’m sure we’ll start calling more pass defense. But it’s working.”

Something is working. The Steelers are in the lead so often, their opponents have run only 27 plays — 16 rushes, 11 passes — while ahead.

“Teams are trying to get into their two-minute offenses to move the ball, so in some sense it is kind of skewed,” safety Ryan Clark said. “I think the biggest number is touchdown passes given up, and we haven’t given up that many [four]. So I don’t think there’s anything we have to do different preparing for this game.”

Not that the Steelers think Brees is just another quarterback.

Clark ranks him just below Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the NFL hierarchy. And a Steelers defense that allowed 16 plays of 40 yards or longer last season must be concerned with Brees’ ability to throw the deep ball.

“When you play a wide-open offense like that, it’s always tough to play against,” Polamalu said. “He uses everybody, which is tough on the defense, and he’s got a lot of talent in the wide receivers he uses.”

Brees’ take on the Steelers’ defense? So much for statistics.

“You can’t just look at statistics and say, ‘Hey, you rank top five and they rank bottom five so this has got to be a gimme,’” Brees said.