Steelers Grind Out 16-10 Win Over Saints in Paris as Rodgers Admits Offense Struggled
The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New Orleans Saints 16-10 in Paris, and they did it without much help from their offense. The win lifted Pittsburgh to 5-2 on the season, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, almost 43, was at the center of it.
The best play came in the second quarter, when Rodgers hit DK Metcalf with a 51-yard pass. Deep throws like that change the shape of a game, because they flip the field in one snap. Later, with the game close, Rodgers scrambled for a first down on third-and-six, keeping a drive alive when a stop would have handed the ball back.
The rest of the offense was harder to watch. Pittsburgh reached the red zone (the final 20 yards before the end zone) four times and scored only one touchdown. Rodgers did not hide from it. "I don't think we played very good on offense today," he told reporter Molly McGrath after the game, according to The Guardian.
The defense carried much of the load. Pittsburgh has allowed just three touchdowns in the last 15 quarters, and its run defense has tightened sharply. Opponents averaged 4.5 yards per carry in Weeks 1 through 4, then 2.8 over the last three games. That is the kind of change that makes a defense hard to move on the ground, forcing offenses into passing downs where pressure does its work.
Rodgers entered Paris with 13 touchdown passes, five interceptions and 1,699 yards through seven games this season. This is his second year with the Steelers. In September, he said he came back because Pittsburgh are Super Bowl contenders, as NFL.com reported. In early October he said there was "zero debate" that 2026 would be his final NFL season, per Yahoo Sports.
That makes the Steelers' push a final-year question as well. The Guardian asked whether Rodgers can win a Super Bowl in his last season, and the answer will depend on whether the offense catches up with the defense.
The game itself also carried some off-field questions. Earlier this week, Rodgers backed the NFL's decision to play in Paris, saying he trusted the league to make the right security calls. His comments came after Paris Saint-Germain cancelled a match amid unrest in the city, according to ESPN.
For Pittsburgh, the lesson from Paris is simple. The defense is holding, and the win counts. The offense still has to finish drives, starting with the red zone, if the Steelers want the 5-2 start to turn into a playoff run.
