The Pittsburgh Steelers walked out of Paris with a 16-10 win over the New Orleans Saints and a three-game winning streak, but the box score told a tougher story than the final result.
This was the first international game played in Paris, France, and Pittsburgh got the victory. Still, the offense never looked clean enough to make it feel comfortable. The same issues that have followed the Steelers in recent seasons showed up again, only this time they were masked by a defense that did the heavy lifting.
New Orleans entered Week 7 with a secondary that had already given up plenty through the air, ranking 25th in passing yards allowed per game at 239.7. That looked like a chance for Pittsburgh to attack.
Instead, the Saints' defense, led by Brandon Staley, kept the Steelers in check and held them to 195 net passing yards. Aaron Rodgers averaged just 5.9 yards per dropback, and the wide receivers never consistently got loose.
Rico Dowdle and DK Metcalf led the offense in targets with six apiece, but the passing game never found much rhythm. Rodgers finished with a 63% completion rate, took three sacks for 17 yards lost, and avoided turnovers. On the ground, Jaylen Warren carried the load, rushing for 101 yards on 18 attempts.
The problem for Pittsburgh was not just moving the ball, but finishing drives. Whenever the offense did get into scoring range, New Orleans tightened up in the red zone and held the Steelers to a 25% conversion rate. That left too many empty trips and too few points.
The defense made sure it didn’t matter.
T.J. Watt and company shut down New Orleans in the spots that counted most.
Patrick Graham’s unit held the Saints to a 33% red zone efficiency rate, and Payton Wilson’s interception inside Pittsburgh’s ten-yard line helped close the door. The Steelers also took away the run game completely, limiting New Orleans to 1.1 yards per carry on 17 attempts.
That forced Kellen Moore to lean on his quarterback, and Tyler Shough nearly pulled it off. He finished with 278 passing yards and a 65 QBR, and he was sacked twice for a combined loss of 15 yards.
For Pittsburgh, the win still counts. But it came with a clear warning attached.
The defense bailed out the offense in Week 7, and that won’t always be enough. Next up is a matchup with the Cleveland Browns for first place in the AFC North, and the Steelers will need much more efficiency if they want to keep this run going.
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