The Steelers left Paris with exactly the kind of win they wanted: physical, controlled, and built on the ground game. Pittsburgh beat the New Orleans Saints 16-10 on Sunday, stretching its winning streak to three and moving to 5-2. That puts the Steelers tied with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs for the most wins in the AFC.
Right from the opening series, Pittsburgh made its intention obvious against a Saints defense that came in ranked last in the NFL in run defense EPA. Jaylen Warren opened the game by piling up 43 rushing yards on the first drive alone, though the possession ended without points when Aaron Rodgers’ fade to DK Metcalf in the end zone fell incomplete. Chris Boswell salvaged the series with a 3-0 lead.
The first quarter was a slow grind, with each team managing just one meaningful drive. New Orleans punted after an 11-play possession, and Pittsburgh answered with a punt after marching 13 plays.
The Saints eventually tied the game with a field goal, but the Steelers came right back with a sharp 77-yard drive in six plays, finished by a Darnell Washington touchdown catch. That pass was the 540th touchdown throw of Rodgers’ career, moving him past Peyton Manning and into third place all-time.
New Orleans responded with a 12-play drive of its own, capped by Devaughn Vele’s touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
From there, Pittsburgh took control by keeping the pressure on with Boswell’s leg. Another field goal pushed the Steelers ahead 13-10, then came the turning point: Payton Wilson intercepted Tyler Shough in the red zone and erased a chance for the Saints to either tie the game or take the lead. Boswell added a third field goal to make it 16-10, and that was the last time the Steelers needed to score.
New Orleans never got back into the red zone. Daniel Carlson missed from 52 yards, the Saints punted on their next possession, and Pittsburgh took over with just under six minutes remaining.
The Steelers never gave the ball back. Rodgers picked up a key third-down scramble to help drain the clock, and when New Orleans was flagged for offside on a fourth Boswell field goal attempt, Pittsburgh was able to kneel it out.
The numbers backed up the style of the win. Pittsburgh outrushed New Orleans 148-18 and converted 10 of 16 third downs.
Warren finished with 101 rushing yards and added 36 receiving yards, while Rico Dowdle contributed 41 yards on the ground and 45 more through the air. On defense, Patrick Queen led the Steelers with 10 tackles and added a sack on the Saints’ final offensive play.
T.J. Watt also recorded a sack, and Pittsburgh finished with six tackles for loss.
The Steelers will return home to face the Browns next week with a chance to improve to 6-2 before their Week 9 bye.
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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
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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 🡒]