Aaron Rodgers didn’t need a big avalanche of offense to get the Steelers across the line in Paris. He needed efficiency, a handful of sharp throws, and Chris Boswell’s right leg. That was enough for Pittsburgh to leave Stade de France with a 16-10 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in the NFL’s first regular-season game in France.
Rodgers finished 19 of 30 for 212 yards and a touchdown, while Jaylen Warren powered the ground game with 101 rushing yards. The Steelers (5-2) also leaned on Boswell, who drilled three field goals, including the one that put Pittsburgh ahead for good. Rodgers even helped seal it late with a scramble for a key first down in the fourth quarter as the Steelers won their third straight.
The biggest swing came on defense. Linebacker Payton Wilson picked off Tyler Shough in the red zone in the third quarter, and New Orleans never fully climbed back from it. The Saints (2-5) managed only 18 rushing yards, a number that tells the story of how little room they had to operate on the ground.
New Orleans had a chance to open the second half with momentum, but Wilson got in front of a short pass meant for Chris Olave and turned it into another Pittsburgh break. The Steelers moved into field-goal range, and Boswell converted from 39 yards to make it 16-10.
The Steelers had already built a 13-10 halftime edge thanks to a quick late sequence. Carl Granderson got to Rodgers on third down just before the break, and Pittsburgh hurried its operation with 15 seconds left and no timeouts. Boswell sprinted on and knocked through a 47-yard field goal to send Pittsburgh to the locker room in front.
Rodgers’ touchdown throw came earlier in the game, when he found 6-foot-7, 265-pound tight end Darnell Washington for a 4-yard score. Kool-Aid McKinstry was in coverage on the play, and the touchdown gave the Steelers a 10-3 lead.
That drive had been set up by a bomb. Rodgers moved around in the pocket and hit DK Metcalf for a 51-yard gain all the way to the New Orleans 4. NFL France called it “quel caviar d’Aaron Rodgers.”
The Saints answered with their own touchdown to pull even. Tyler Shough found Devaughn Vele on a 1-yard scoring pass on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to make it 10-10.
Shough wound up completing 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards, one touchdown and the interception, but New Orleans couldn’t generate enough balance to threaten consistently. Patrick Queen helped finish off one of the Saints’ last meaningful chances when he sacked Shough on third down with fewer than seven minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Attendance was 78,488 at Stade de France.
Injuries
Steelers: S DeShon Elliott was active for the first time in a year after returning from a knee injury.
Saints: CB Kool-Aid McKinstry was cleared to return after a concussion evaluation in the first half ... RB CJ Donaldson left in the first half and was later ruled out... S Justin Reid was ruled out of the game early in the second half ... rookie Jeremiah Wright started in place of right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee)
Steelers: Host the Cleveland Browns before a bye in Week 9.
Saints: Bye week.
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 🡒]