The Pittsburgh Steelers went to Paris and managed to pull off a 16-10 win to spoil the New Orleans Saints' big day in their international market. It was not a pretty game, but it's exactly the kind of contest that Pittsburgh wants to play: gritty, physical, and dominating in the trenches. The team had its way in the run game, both offensively and defensively. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had just as many rushing yards than the Saints' running backs. That is how you win football games, especially overseas.
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Steelers' Aaron Rodgers looks to pass during a win over the Saints in Paris.
Obviously, there are still a lot of concerns that need to be addressed. The pass defense still needs some work, as Tyler Shough was able to complete 30 passes, with most of them being easy completions for chunk plays. Three of his eight incompletions were batted down at the line of scrimmage. The secondary needs to tighten up, but it's hard to complain too much after only giving up 10 points.
Head Coach Mike McCarthy may have wanted a bigger win, but he still understands the importance of winning a game like this, as he explained during his postgame press conference.
"You need these games. These are important games, the close-game victories [are] what I'm speaking on," McCarthy said. "It's nice to win by two touchdowns or three scores, but in my personal experiences, you definitely need these types of games because when you're in close games, you have to make critical plays throughout all the situations in football... when it comes to playoff football, every game comes down to the last series."
The Steelers would have had a two-score win had the Saints not jumped offsides to wipe out the final field goal, but it's still a good win either way. They got the ball with just under six minutes to go in regulation and they managed to milk the clock all the way down to zero to win. Those are the kind of final drives that a team needs against the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs or the Buffalo Bills to make sure they can't go and steal the victory.
That is where running the football comes in key. The Steelers utilized their ultra-jumbo set for the first time in 2026, and it worked to perfection. Even when the Saints knew that it was going to be a run play, they couldn't figure out a way to stop the two-headed monster of Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, as they combined for 27 carries for 142 yards. That is how you establish the run effectively.
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Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
The secret to winning these playoff games is to not give the elite quarterbacks and teams a chance to run you out of town. The Saints only had six drives all game long, and it became harder for them to move the ball when the ground game was as ineffective as it was. Even with the quality passing attack, 18 rush yards in a contest is inexcusable offensively, but elite defensively.
Steelers Will Face True Test After Bye Week
The Steelers' run game has been elite over the last few weeks, both offensively and defensively as mentioned. However, these recent opponents have not exactly been the cream of the crop. After Pittsburgh comes out of the bye week, it will have to face its fair share of playoff-caliber ground attacks and run defense. If this level of performance can keep up, this may just be a team that deserves a spot in the playoffs.
The Denver Broncos still have arguably the best defense in the NFL, and the Houston Texans can still make you pay if you don't take them seriously despite their slow start. Of course, they have to play the Baltimore Ravens twice, and the Carolina Panthers have quietly run the ball very well. This is where we see if the Steelers are a legitimate threat or just a team taking advantage of a soft schedule early on.
What do you think about McCarthy using this game to prepare for the playoffs? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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