Rodgers Passes Manning in Paris — Warren Carries Steelers to 5–2
GOATIFYAaron Rodgers made history in Paris, but Pittsburgh's 16–10 victory over New Orleans was not a quarterback showcase. It was a game won through patient rushing, a timely interception and an offense that understood when to stop chasing spectacular plays. The Steelers left the first NFL regular-season game in France at 5–2, with three consecutive victories and a very different kind of headline from the one Rodgers supplied.
His four-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Washington was the 540th of his career, moving him ahead of Peyton Manning into third place on the league's all-time list. Yet the more important number for the result might have been 148: Pittsburgh's rushing yards against a Saints team that managed just 18. Jaylen Warren contributed 101 of them, and Payton Wilson erased New Orleans' best second-half scoring chance with a red-zone interception.
There was no second-half touchdown from either side. What separated the teams was Pittsburgh's ability to keep collecting useful possessions and New Orleans' inability to convert a promising afternoon of passing into points.
Jaylen Warren made the run game Pittsburgh's most reliable weapon
Pittsburgh told New Orleans what it wanted to do almost immediately. Warren ran for 43 yards on the opening possession, repeatedly finding space before the Saints could force the offense into obvious passing situations. The drive ended with Chris Boswell's 28-yard field goal rather than a touchdown, but it established the pattern of the afternoon: the Steelers could move the chains without asking Rodgers to solve every down through the air.
Warren finished with 101 rushing yards on 18 carries, a 5.6-yard average, and added 36 yards on three receptions. That is more than a respectable individual line. Against a defense struggling to stop the run, it gave Pittsburgh a way to manage the pace, shorten difficult third downs and remain on schedule even when the red-zone execution fell short. A rushing attack does not need to produce explosive touchdowns to decide a close game; it can make the opposing defense stay on the field until every mistake becomes expensive.
Rico Dowdle complemented him with 41 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards. The pair offered different ways to stress the same defensive front, while Pittsburgh's offensive line kept creating workable gaps. The result was a 148–18 rushing-yard advantage, a startling margin in a contest decided by only six points. New Orleans had opportunities to win because the scoreboard remained close, but its inability to threaten on the ground left quarterback Tyler Shough carrying almost the entire offensive burden.
Third-down efficiency made the rushing edge even more valuable. Pittsburgh converted 10 of 16 attempts, which helped it sustain long possessions rather than hand the Saints a stream of quick chances. Late in the fourth quarter, the Steelers took over with fewer than six minutes remaining and never surrendered the ball again. Rodgers' scramble for a crucial first down mattered, but that finish was built on an entire afternoon of manageable down-and-distance situations.
The warning for future opponents is not that Warren will rush for 100 yards every week. It is that Pittsburgh now has a credible route to winning games in which its passing offense is merely efficient rather than explosive. That is a useful identity for a team approaching the middle of a long season.
Rodgers passed Peyton Manning on a touchdown that changed the first half
The signature play arrived in the second quarter. After the Saints tied the game 3–3, Rodgers connected with DK Metcalf on a 51-yard gain that moved Pittsburgh deep into New Orleans territory. A six-play, 77-yard possession ended when the quarterback found tight end Darnell Washington from four yards out. The completion put the Steelers ahead 10–3 and gave Rodgers touchdown pass No. 540.
That number moved him clear of Peyton Manning for third on the NFL's career list, behind Drew Brees and Tom Brady. It is an extraordinary milestone in a career already defined by longevity, arm talent and production across different eras. Rodgers, who turns 43 in December, did not need a three-touchdown afternoon to make history in Paris. One precisely timed scoring throw was enough.
There was a practical reason that play mattered beyond the record book. Washington's size made him an imposing target near the goal line, and Pittsburgh used the matchup after Metcalf's long reception had forced the Saints to defend a suddenly compressed field. The touchdown was the Steelers' only trip to the end zone, making its efficiency on that possession decisive. In a six-point win, turning one red-zone opportunity into seven points rather than three can be the entire margin.
Rodgers completed 19 of 30 passes for 212 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Those numbers describe a controlled outing rather than an aerial takeover. He also absorbed three sacks, and Pittsburgh left several drives unfinished. Boswell's three field goals were therefore essential, not decorative. The kicker converted from 28 yards, from 47 as the first half expired and from 39 in the third quarter.
New Orleans briefly matched the Steelers' scoring punch. Shough found Devaughn Vele from one yard out on fourth-and-goal, completing a 12-play march and tying the score at 10. Pittsburgh responded with the late-half field goal to lead 13–10 at the break. It was a sequence of momentum swings rather than sustained domination, which makes the Rodgers milestone more interesting: the historical moment belonged to him, but the victory still depended on contributions from almost every part of the roster.
Payton Wilson's red-zone interception was the game's turning point
New Orleans came out of halftime with a real chance to seize control. Trailing only 13–10, the Saints drove to the Pittsburgh 10-yard line and appeared positioned either to level the score or take their first lead. Then Shough tried a short throw intended for Chris Olave, and Wilson stepped in front of it. The interception ended the possession without points and permanently changed the shape of the second half.
Pittsburgh converted the reprieve into another long drive and a Boswell field goal from 39 yards, making it 16–10. The score still left the Saints one touchdown away from winning, but the momentum of a possible go-ahead possession had been replaced by a missed opportunity and more time off the clock. That is why a red-zone takeaway can matter more than an interception at midfield: it removes points that the opponent has already come close to earning.
Shough's passing line was not poor. He completed 30 of 38 attempts for 278 yards and a touchdown, finding several receivers and keeping the Saints competitive despite the lopsided rushing figures. Alvin Kamara caught seven passes for 57 yards, while Vele contributed five receptions, 54 yards and the team's only touchdown. The quarterback could move the ball. What New Orleans could not do was finish enough drives, especially after the break.
The Steelers' front helped make that distinction decisive. Patrick Queen recorded a team-high 10 tackles and a sack, T.J. Watt added a sack, and Pittsburgh totaled six tackles for loss. The Saints' 18 rushing yards made them predictable in important situations, allowing the defense to challenge passing lanes and rush with greater confidence. Daniel Carlson later missed a 52-yard field-goal attempt, another opportunity that passed without reducing the deficit.
The last meaningful New Orleans possession ended in a punt, after which Pittsburgh controlled the closing minutes. An offside penalty on a late field-goal attempt allowed the Steelers to kneel rather than risk giving the ball back. From Wilson's interception to the final kneel-down, the defense and ball-control offense worked together. The Saints had a plausible route to a comeback; Pittsburgh systematically removed it.
A 5–2 Steelers team leaves Paris with a clearer identity
The venue made this more than an ordinary road win. Stade de France hosted the NFL's first regular-season game in France, bringing two historic franchises to a market the league has spent years preparing to enter. The result will sit in the record books as Pittsburgh's 16–10 victory, but the game also showed how an American football contest can carry a major international occasion without needing a high-scoring spectacle.
For the Steelers, the competitive implications are more immediate. Three consecutive wins have lifted them to 5–2, and the formula is becoming recognizable: a veteran quarterback avoiding costly turnovers, a running back who can create consistent gains, a defense capable of producing decisive stops and a kicker who can turn stalled drives into points. None of those elements guarantees a deep playoff run. Together, they offer a sustainable way to survive games when the passing offense is not at its best.
There are still areas that demand improvement. Pittsburgh produced only one touchdown despite moving the ball for much of the day. Against a stronger scoring offense, three field goals and a six-point margin may not be enough. The Steelers cannot assume that every opponent will be held to 18 rushing yards or throw an interception near the goal line. Better red-zone finishing would make their control of possession translate into more comfortable leads.
The schedule supplies an immediate test. Pittsburgh returns home to face Cleveland on November 1 before its Week 9 bye. The Browns entered Sunday's games at 4–2, so the meeting carries obvious AFC North importance regardless of how the rest of Week 7 unfolds. Warren's form and Rodgers' decision-making should travel well, but division games rarely reward a team that settles for three points too often.
New Orleans, meanwhile, heads into its bye at 2–5 after a day when Shough's passing accuracy could not compensate for the absent run game and one damaging turnover. The Saints were never completely outplayed on the scoreboard. They simply lost the handful of moments that determine close games. Paris delivered a historic stage, but the football lesson was familiar: controlling the line of scrimmage and protecting scoring opportunities still decide outcomes.
Rodgers' 540th touchdown pass will be the photograph-and-headline moment from Paris. Pittsburgh's 16–10 win, however, was earned through Warren's 101 rushing yards, a 148–18 advantage on the ground, Wilson's interception at the goal line and a defense that did not allow New Orleans to score after halftime.
The Steelers have reached 5–2 without pretending to be a flawless offensive machine. That makes the next question more compelling: can they improve their red-zone finishing while keeping the disciplined rushing and defensive identity that has carried this three-game streak? The Browns game will provide the next answer.
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