SAINT-DENIS, France - The Saints spent a week in France being treated like the home team. Cam Jordan and Alvin Kamara opened the first-ever game in the country by leading a “Who Dat” chant, and for a while the Stade de France sounded like New Orleans had simply been transplanted 5,000 miles away.
That feeling didn’t last.
By the middle of the third quarter, the crowd noise had shifted, the Terrible Towels were out, and Tyler Shough had just thrown a red-zone interception that turned the game hard in Pittsburgh’s favor. From there, Sunday looked a lot like the Saints’ season has looked back in the States: slow start, shaky ground game, too many wasted chances and not enough answers.
The Steelers left with a 16-10 win, dropping New Orleans to 2-5. Shough did plenty of the heavy lifting in the passing game, finishing 30 of 38 for 278 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but the Saints once again leaned on him far more than they should have.
His 7 rushing yards on three carries actually led New Orleans in rushing. Aaron Rodgers, with 8 yards before two kneel-downs pulled him down to 6, would have led the Saints, too.
That was the shape of the afternoon from the start. New Orleans opened with another empty-looking drive on the ground, forcing Shough into short throws and quick completions just to move the chains.
The possession still stalled at Pittsburgh’s 48 and ended with a punt. The Saints never really found a rhythm running the ball, and that kept placing even more weight on Shough’s shoulders.
The defense didn’t offer much relief. Jaylen Warren kept finding space, helping Pittsburgh open with a run-heavy drive that ended in a 28-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. Later, Rodgers hit the 6-foot-7 Darnell Washington over the 5-foot-11 Kool-Aid McKinstry for a goal-line touchdown, stretching the Steelers’ lead to 10-3.
There were a few unusual twists along the way. Bill Vinovich worked his first Saints game since the infamous NOLA no-call in 2019, and the crowd made sure he heard it, booing nearly every time he was announced.
Replay also swung a couple of moments New Orleans’ way. On the Saints’ second drive, officials overturned what had been ruled a Shough fumble after a camera angle showed his knee was down first, and the Saints settled for a 38-yard field goal to tie it 3-3.
New Orleans got another break on its next series. Twice near the goal line, Shough escaped disaster after a Steelers defender punched the ball loose; the ball stayed in bounds at the 1 instead of rolling into the end zone for a touchback. Then replay wiped out another called Kendre Miller fumble, setting up Shough’s fourth-and-goal touchdown pass to Devaughn Vele with 1:45 left in the first half.
Even with that momentum, the Saints couldn’t carry the game the way they had against the New York Giants a week earlier. Rodgers answered with an efficient 11-play, 40-yard drive, and Chris Boswell’s 47-yard field goal at the end of the half put Pittsburgh ahead 13-10.
The turning point came right after halftime. Shough moved the Saints into position, then threw the first red-zone interception of his career when Payton Wilson stepped in front of a pass intended for Chris Olave.
New Orleans still had a shot because Chase Young came up with two timely third-down sacks. One of them forced Pittsburgh into a 39-yard field goal, keeping the score within reach at 16-10.
But the Saints couldn’t cash in. Daniel Carlson missed a 52-yard field goal that would have cut into the deficit, and when Young later helped force a Steelers punt with about seven minutes left, New Orleans went three-and-out. Patrick Queen sacked Shough on that series, setting Pittsburgh up to drain the clock.
The finish got even uglier. An offside penalty on fourth-and-3 gave Rodgers the chance to kneel instead of Boswell attempting another field goal. That was the final insult to a trip the Saints had made a point of embracing.
There was nothing Shough could do about that.
In Other News...
Saints Face A Fascinating Paris Test Against A Familiar Steelers Blueprint
The Saints trip to Paris brings an unusual backdrop for a matchup that already carries plenty of intrigue, with Kellen Moore now tasked with steering New Orleans offense against a Steelers staff led by Mike McCarthy. The coaching connection matters here because Moore once worked under McCarthy in Dallas, giving this one a layer of familiarity even as the two sides are likely to lean on very different ideas about how to attack the same field.
For New Orleans, the challenge is less about the setting than the chess match it creates. The Saints will have to sort through how to get their offense moving against a Pittsburgh blueprint that has long asked opponents to stay patient and precise, and this is the kind of game where the details can decide whether drives stay alive or stall early. It should be a revealing test of how quickly Moore can shape the Saints plan when the margin for error is likely to be slim. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Still Have One Thing Keeping The NFC South Race Alive
A 2-4 start has not exactly put New Orleans in a comfortable place, but the Saints have not faded from the NFC South conversation either. The roster still has enough talent to make things interesting, and even with injuries hitting key offensive pieces, there are reasons to believe this team can hang around if the offense keeps moving in the right direction.
Chris Olave has given the passing game a real anchor, and Tyler Shoughs presence adds another layer to what the Saints are trying to build. Carolina may be viewed as the division favorite, but New Orleans still has a path if the defense tightens up and the offense continues to show the kind of upside that has kept the season from slipping away completely. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Wasted A Chance And Two Offensive Concerns Stand Out
The Saints finally snapped their four-game losing streak with a win over the Giants, but the follow-up against the Steelers brought back too many of the same offensive worries. New Orleans had trouble getting anything going on the ground, and the attack never quite found a rhythm even with Barion Brown flashing some promise as a receiver, a reminder that there is at least some upside to be found in the passing game if the staff can find a way to tap into it more often.
Still, the bigger frustration was how many chances slipped away. A missed field goal and a red zone interception helped turn a winnable game into one that got away, and the Saints could not overcome those empty trips. Even with Chase Young and Carl Granderson giving the defense a legitimate pass-rushing pair, the offenses inability to finish drives keeps leaving New Orleans with more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]