Taliese Fuaga has been then cause of much debate among New Orleans Saints fans, but the last time he was in a premier matchup was against Maxx Crosby. He more than held his own vs the All Pro, and the Saints will need Fuaga to do the same against one of the best defensive players of the era, T.J. Watt, if the Saints want to walk out of Paris with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Raiders were one of the league's best pass rushing team, and the Saints held them at bay for three quarters. When Vegas did get things going, Crosby wasn't a part of the party at the quarterback. Fuaga won that matchup, allowing 1 hurry and 1 QB hit.
Another performance like that would be another feather in the cap of the young offensive lineman. Fuaga also kept Myles Garrett off the stat sheet completely as a rookie, so it's fair to say he tends to get up for these types of game. He's coming off a strong performance against the Giants, and the Saints need a repeat performance
Saints will lose if TJ Watt delivers a vintage performance vs Taliese Fuaga
Watt has spent some time over the left tackle, but the vast majority of his snaps have been on the offense's right. So while Asim Richards will still be a huge concern in this game, this is Fuaga's matchup.
Watt hasn’t had the strongest performances in recent weeks. He was kept off the stat sheet completely two weeks ago versus the Colts and only had two tackles in an overtime matchup the Buccaneers.
One thing both of those games have in common is the Steelers won, so they don’t require a big game from Watt to win. However, a big game from Watt can turn the tide, and that’s something the Saints simply can’t afford.
The thing about stopping Watt is it only takes one play. He has a knack for making impact plays once he gets to the quarterback, and he has the reputation for doing it at the biggest moments.
Watt excels at knocking the ball out of quarterbacks’ hands. Any time he gets to Shough there’s a threat of a forced fumble. An injured hand won't help matters for the quarterback either.
Fuaga can play well for three quarters, play well for 55 minutes, and the anxiety of Watt rushing off the right side will never subside. That’s partially because it only takes one play but also because Watt has been a clutch time player for so long. Fourth quarters are when he has turned it up in the past.
Add us as a preferred source on Google