Photo: steelers.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers traveled overseas ec4looking to extend their winning streak, and while Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints wasn’t necessarily a masterpiece, they accomplished what they came to Paris to do.
Pittsburgh improved to 5-2 with a 16-10 victory at Stade de France, leaning on a dominant defensive performance, a productive running game and just enough offense to get the job done. It wasn’t the kind of game that will silence every criticism of the Steelers, particularly when it comes to finishing drives, but there were several encouraging developments worth discussing.
Perhaps most importantly, the Steelers are finding different ways to win football games. After needing a second-half comeback and overtime to defeat Tampa Bay last week, Pittsburgh controlled much of Sunday’s contest without putting many points on the scoreboard.
Here are my biggest takeaways from the Steelers’ third consecutive victory.
If there’s one thing the Steelers should have learned by now, it’s that good things tend to happen when Jaylen Warren gets involved. The running back finished with 101 rushing yards on 18 carries, averaging 5.6 yards per attempt, while adding three receptions for 36 yards.
Warren set the tone early with a 29-yard run on Pittsburgh’s opening possession, helping the Steelers move into scoring position. He also provided several important gains throughout the afternoon, including a 15-yard run on third-and-one during Pittsburgh’s two-minute drive before halftime.
Rico Dowdle deserves credit, too. He contributed 41 rushing yards on nine attempts and added six receptions for 45 yards, giving Aaron Rodgers another dependable option out of the backfield. Together, the two helped Pittsburgh establish a balanced offensive attack that finished with 148 rushing yards.
With the Steelers continuing to search for consistency through the air, the running game has become an increasingly important part of their offensive identity.
We’ve spent plenty of time discussing Pittsburgh’s defensive inconsistencies this season, but there wasn’t much to complain about when it came to stopping the run on Sunday. The Saints finished with an astonishing 18 rushing yards on 17 attempts, averaging just 1.1 yards per carry. Alvin Kamara was limited to five yards on six carries, while Kendre Miller managed six yards on eight attempts.
The Saints leading rusher on Sunday? Tyler Shough! (And no Saints accumulated ten years rushing, an anomaly that hasn’t occurred in years!) New Orleans simply couldn’t establish anything on the ground, forcing their second-year quarterback to carry the offensive workload.
Patrick Queen led Pittsburgh with 10 combined tackles and recorded a sack, while T.J. Watt added another sack. Keeanu Benton also made his presence felt with a tackle for loss, helping the Steelers consistently disrupt plays before the Saints could get anything going.
New Orleans still managed 263 net passing yards, but Pittsburgh’s ability to eliminate one dimension of the offense made a tremendous difference. When the Saints needed to move the football late, the Steelers knew exactly what they were trying to do.
The Steelers entered halftime with a narrow 13-10 lead, and the Saints threatened to take control immediately after the break. New Orleans opened the third quarter with a 14-play, 68-yard possession that reached Pittsburgh’s 10-yard line.
That’s when Payton Wilson stepped in front of a Tyler Shough pass intended for Chris Olave, intercepting the football at the Steelers’ 11-yard line and returning it 18 yards. Instead of surrendering the lead, Pittsburgh took possession and responded with a lengthy drive that ended in a Chris Boswell field goal.
The interception was especially significant considering how little separated the teams on the scoreboard. New Orleans had already consumed nearly half of the third quarter, and Wilson’s play prevented the Saints from capitalizing on their best scoring opportunity of the second half.
Wilson finished with six combined tackles, but the interception was his defining moment. It’s another example of a younger Steelers defender stepping up when his team needs a big play.
One of Pittsburgh’s biggest offensive frustrations this season has been its inability to consistently sustain drives. That wasn’t the case Sunday, as the Steelers converted 10 of their 16 third-down opportunities, an impressive 62.5 percent success rate.
Rodgers finished 19-of-30 for 212 yards and a touchdown without an interception. His 51-yard connection with DK Metcalf on third-and-14 was Pittsburgh’s longest play of the afternoon and helped set up Darnell Washington‘s four-yard touchdown reception.
However, moving the football and scoring touchdowns are two different things. Pittsburgh finished with 343 total yards and reached the red zone four times, yet managed only one touchdown.
Chris Boswell connected on field goals of 28, 47 and 39 yards to provide the remaining points.
That formula worked against New Orleans, but settling for field goals is going to make life unnecessarily difficult against stronger opponents. The Steelers have demonstrated that they can move the chains; now they need to turn more of those opportunities into touchdowns.
One of the more encouraging developments came during the final minutes, when the Steelers had an opportunity to put the game away without asking their defense to make another stop.
After forcing New Orleans to punt with 5:52 remaining, Pittsburgh took possession at its own 35-yard line and never gave the football back.
Dowdle opened the drive with a 16-yard run, and the Steelers continued moving the chains while draining the clock.
Rodgers even scrambled for eight yards on third-and-six to keep the possession alive. Later, a New Orleans offside penalty on a Boswell field-goal attempt gave Pittsburgh another first down, allowing Rodgers to finish the game with two kneel-downs.
It wasn’t flashy, but it was exactly the kind of situational execution the Steelers have struggled with at times. Rather than leaving the outcome to another defensive stand, the offense took responsibility for finishing the job.
There are still legitimate concerns about Pittsburgh’s offense, and scoring only 16 points against a struggling Saints defense isn’t something to celebrate. Nevertheless, the Steelers dominated the running game on both sides of the football, converted important third downs and made the plays necessary to win.
At 5-2, Pittsburgh has positioned itself well heading into next Sunday’s rematch with the Cleveland Browns, who handed the Steelers a 27-24 loss earlier this month. With a bye week following that matchup, another victory would send Pittsburgh into its break riding considerable momentum.
The Steelers don’t have everything figured out, but they’ve won three straight games while continuing to work through their shortcomings. That’s certainly preferable to learning those same lessons after a loss.
