Surging Steelers smother Saints in Paris to earn third straight win

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Oct 25, 2026

Published in Football

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PARIS — The Pittsburgh Steelers came a long way to stretch their winning streak to three games, find out the oldest player in the league can still move and unveil the one-two running back punch that they have envisioned since training camp.

For the second year in a row, they won in a foreign country. They defeated the New Orleans Saints, 16-10, on Sunday in the first NFL game ever played in France.

It was their third straight victory, keeping the Steelers atop the AFC North with a 5-2 record. And it was accomplished in front of a Terrible Towel-waving crowd that descended upon Stade de France as though it was Acrisure Stadium.

“We feel really good about what we accomplished today,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “It will be a very enjoyable flight home.”

And they did it like they had been doing it back home — with a healthy dose of Jaylen Warren and big plays from the defense when they needed them most.

Warren rushed for 101 yards on 18 carries and caught three passes for 36 yards. He jumpstarted their first two scoring drives with a 29-yard run on the second play of the game and a 26-yard catch and run to start their third possession.

“We’re almost expecting Jalen to have 100 yards and make some splash plays,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “He’s just so dynamic.”

Perhaps more important, Warren got a lot of help from Rico Dowdle, who rushed for 41 yards and caught six passes for 45 yards against the Saints.

“Today, you saw what training camp looked like,” McCarthy said, referring to both backs being healthy and running hard. “It’s how we like to play. Any time we can line up and just give it to Jaylen and Rico all day, that’s a good day for us.”

Despite managing just one offensive touchdown, the Steelers converted more than 50% of their third downs (10 of 16) for the first time since Week 3 and ran as many times (30 for 148 yards) as they threw for the first time this season.

Defensively, the Steelers had just one takeaway — a diving interception by Payton Wilson at the Steelers’ 10-yard line on the first possession of the second half.

It set up Chris Boswell’s third and final field goal, this one from 39 yards, to put them up 16-10.

“They were on the move there,” Wilson said. “It was a good opportunity and a good spot to be in.”

That wasn’t the end of the big plays.

The Steelers held the Saints to 18 yards rushing on 17 carries, one week after the Saints rushed for 175 yards on 38 carries against the New York Giants.

And the Steelers’ defense shut down the Saints on their final possession. Y.A. Black and Cam Heyward batted back-to-back passes at the line of scrimmage, then Patrick Queen sacked quarterback Tyler Shough on third down.

“If we can’t stop the run, you can’t hang your hat on anything, especially when they’re still running on you like our offense was today,” T.J. Watt said. “Good defenses are always sitting on the bench. Today felt like one of those days.”

Shough completed 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards.

He was sacked one other time — by Watt, who forced and recovered a fumble at the Steelers’ 24-yard line. But replay review overturned the takeaway, ruling Shough was down by contact. That enabled the Saints to kick a field goal.

On the Saints’ next possession, Cole Holcomb knocked the ball away from Saints running back Kendre Miller near the goal line and Jaquan Brisker recovered the fumble. But, again, replay review overturned the play and the Saints soon scored their only touchdown, a 1-yard reception by Devaughn Vele.

But before the Steelers could leave Stade de France victorious, there was one more big play ... and it opened a few eyes.

Rodgers passed for 212 yards and threw a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Darnell Washington that gave the Steelers a 10-3 lead in the second quarter. But he used his 42-year-old legs to make two of the biggest plays of the game.

The first came when Rodgers rolled to his left and found DK Metcalf behind the defense for a 51-yard completion down to the Saints’ 4-yard line. That set up Washington’s touchdown, the only one the Steelers scored Sunday.

But maybe an even more important play came with the Steelers trying to milk the clock near the end of the game. They were facing a third-and-6 play at the Saints’ 34-yard line when Rodgers scrambled to his left. He looked like Mbappe on the grassy pitch, gaining 8 yards for the first down with 2:25 remaining.

“That was a huge play,” McCarthy said. “I could tell when he hit his back foot he was thinking about taking off.”

That allowed the Steelers to run out the clock, but not before Rodgers’ jubilant teammates rushed to pick him up off the field after his run.

“Sometimes you got to suck it up and make a play for your guys,” Rodgers said. “I think because I am so much less athletic than I used to be, it actually fires the guys up more.”

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