The Steelers left Paris with a 16-10 win over the Saints, and the cleanest way to explain it is this: Pittsburgh controlled the game in the trenches. From the opening snap, Mike McCarthy’s team leaned on its rushing attack, shut down New Orleans on the ground, and did just enough to survive a game that stayed tighter than it probably should have.
Jaylen Warren was the headliner on offense. He set the tone early with nine carries for 78 yards in the first half, then finished with 18 rushes for 101 yards, plus three catches for 36 yards, per ESPN stats. Warren looked like the kind of runner who can tilt a game every time he touches it, and the Steelers kept feeding him for good reason.
Rico Dowdle also made his presence felt. He wasn’t the lead back, but he mattered, finishing with nine carries for 41 yards while adding six receptions for 45 yards. That made him second on the team in both receiving yards and scrimmage yards, a quiet but meaningful piece of Pittsburgh’s offense.
The Steelers also got a big lift from the red zone. Fans may not have loved the opening-drive fade attempt to DK Metcalf, but the play that really popped came on the next trip inside the 20, when Darnell Washington hauled in a one-handed touchdown on a fade with a defender on him. At 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, he gave Pittsburgh the kind of big-body target defenses hate dealing with near the goal line.
On defense, T.J. Watt was as disruptive as ever, even if one of his best moments vanished from the final ledger.
He beat the Saints’ right tackle with a spin move and appeared to strip Tyler Shough on a sack, only for the play to be reversed on expedited review. Even without that turnover, Watt was a force, especially when the Steelers’ secondary gave him even a little extra time to get home.
Payton Wilson also came through with one of the game’s biggest plays. After Shough drove New Orleans into the red zone, Wilson dove in front of a throw and returned the interception 18 yards the other way. He’s been building momentum in recent weeks, and this was the kind of impact play that stands out.
Patrick Queen, too, earned a spot among the game’s winners. He dropped an interception early, but he kept showing up after that and finished with 10 tackles, seven solo, along with a sack, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hit. His late sack helped stall a Saints drive and reinforced how much ground he covered all afternoon.
The most complete part of Pittsburgh’s performance may have been the run defense. New Orleans managed just 18 yards on 17 carries, a brutal 1.1 yards per attempt. From the line to the edge to the linebackers, the Steelers erased the Saints on the ground in a way that brought back memories of the old Pittsburgh identity, especially with Derrick Harmon and Sebastian Joseph-Day on IR.
Not everything went smoothly, though, and a few Steelers had rough afternoons. Jalen Ramsey was the easiest target for New Orleans, and the Saints repeatedly worked the passing game through him. He allowed a touchdown on fourth-and-goal in the first half and looked vulnerable in coverage throughout.
Troy Fautanu also had a tough one in pass protection. While Pittsburgh’s offensive line was strong overall in run blocking, Fautanu had multiple ugly snaps against Chase Young and gave up sacks that stalled drives. His struggles in the second half helped keep the Saints around.
Jamel Dean rounded out the list of losers, even after forcing a critical fumble on Tyler Shough as the quarterback stretched toward the pylon. The takeaway play helped, but Dean was beaten too often in coverage, and New Orleans was able to move the ball through the air because of it.
In Other News...
Aaron Rodgers Just Gave Steelers Fans A New History Debate
Aaron Rodgers added another layer to the rsum Sunday, and it came in a setting that already felt a little different for Pittsburgh. Against the Saints in Paris, the Steelers quarterback kept climbing the NFLs all-time lists, this time nudging past Peyton Manning in career touchdown passes and moving into third place as one of the most prolific passers the league has ever seen.
For Steelers fans, it is the kind of milestone that turns into a debate almost as quickly as it turns into a stat update. Rodgers is still chasing bigger ground in passing yards, and the Week 7 numbers now give Pittsburgh a clearer picture of where he sits in the broader history conversation, even if the next chapter in that climb is still waiting to be written. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Paris Game Will Feature A Look Fans Rarely See
The Steelers are set to bring a different look to Paris for their game against the Saints, blending a familiar road jersey with pieces fans do not often see together. Pittsburgh will pair its white road tops with black pants from the Color Rush set and black helmets, a combination meant to keep the team recognizable while giving the international stage something a little fresh.
Around the locker room, the change has already drawn notice from players such as Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington, who said the uniform stands out from the standard road outfit. For a franchise so closely tied to tradition, even a subtle tweak like this carries some weight, especially when it is being unveiled in a showcase game meant to introduce the Steelers to a wider audience. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Had Every Reason To Be Furious Over This T.J. Watt Reversal
The early sequence of the Steelers game against the Saints had all the ingredients to send the home crowd into a fury. T.J. Watt came screaming off the edge and nearly turned a sack into a turnover, only for the play to go through review and come back in New Orleans favor. Pittsburgh also thought it had another takeaway when a forced fumble was initially ruled in its favor, only for officials to wipe it out after determining the ball carrier had gone to the ground first.
Those reversals made the turnover battle feel like a moving target for much of the night, even as Pittsburgh kept pressing for a break. The Steelers finally got one later when Payton Wilson picked off a pass from Saints quarterback Shough, giving the defense at least one clean takeaway after a stretch of frustration and second-guessing. [Read more 🡒]