Steelers vs. Saints preview: Pittsburgh takes a two-game win streak to Paris for the NFL’s first game in France

By Keystone Clutch Sports

The Steelers bring a two-game winning streak and a 4-2 record, tied with Cleveland and Baltimore atop the AFC North, into a game with some history attached. Pittsburgh (4-2) meets the New Orleans Saints (2-4) Sunday morning at Stade de France, just outside Paris, in the first NFL regular-season game ever played in France, according to the Steelers.

It is the second straight season the Steelers have played an international game, and it is the last stop before a home date with Cleveland and the Week 9 bye.

Game info

Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) vs. New Orleans Saints (2-4). The Saints are the designated home team; NFL.com’s game center lists the game as Steelers at Saints.
When: Sunday, Oct. 25, 9:30 a.m. ET (2:30 p.m. in Paris), per the Steelers’ schedule and NFL.com.
Where: Stade de France, Saint-Denis (Paris), France.
TV: NFL Network, with WTAE-TV carrying the game in the Pittsburgh market. KDKA-TV has the team’s pregame show at 8:30 a.m., per Steelers.com.
Radio: Steelers Audio Network, locally on WDVE 102.5 FM and WBGG 970 AM.

How the Steelers got here

Pittsburgh is 3-0 at home and 1-2 on the road. The results so far, per the team’s schedule page and ESPN: a 20-13 win over Atlanta, a 20-3 loss at New England, a 30-27 win over Cincinnati, a 27-24 loss at Cleveland, a 34-22 win over Indianapolis and, last Sunday, a 26-19 overtime win at Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay game took a comeback. The Steelers trailed 13-3 at halftime and by 13 points entering the fourth quarter. Chris Boswell’s 58-yard field goal tied it at 16, and Jamel Dean’s 40-yard interception return set up Boswell’s 20-yarder for a 19-16 lead with 1:21 left. The Buccaneers tied it with a 53-yard field goal, and Aaron Rodgers then hit rookie Germie Bernard for the winning touchdown in overtime. Jalen Ramsey ended it with a fourth-down sack, according to the Steelers.com game story.

That touchdown pass was Rodgers’ 539th in the regular season, tying Peyton Manning for third in NFL history, the team noted. Head coach Mike McCarthy kept his postgame summary short: “We won our first away game. We stacked two in a row,” he said, per Steelers.com.

Scouting the Saints

New Orleans snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a 34-27 win at the New York Giants. The Saints scored 34 straight points after falling behind 10-0, then held on late. Quarterback Tyler Shough threw three touchdown passes and ran for another. The Saints ran for a season-high 175 yards and forced four turnovers, including two interceptions by cornerback Martin Emerson Jr., according to the Saints’ official recap.

The Saints are 0-3 at home and 2-1 on the road. One of those road wins came against an AFC North team, 24-17 at Baltimore in Week 2, per ESPN’s schedule. Their other results: a 31-30 overtime loss at Detroit, and home losses to Las Vegas (35-27), Atlanta (45-24) and Minnesota (23-13). New Orleans has its bye next week.

By the numbers on NFL.com’s game center, the Saints average 25.3 points a game to the Steelers’ 22.8. The Steelers are plus-3 in turnover differential and the Saints are minus-3. Pittsburgh has 16 sacks and six interceptions on defense. Shough has thrown for 1,443 yards and 12 touchdowns, and Chris Olave leads New Orleans with 580 receiving yards.

Injury report

The injury lists below are from Thursday’s (Oct. 22) practice reports, the latest official reports, as posted by Steelers.com for the Steelers and NewOrleansSaints.com for the Saints. Thursday was the Steelers’ final practice before their flight to Paris that evening.

Game status: The Steelers have ruled out WR Ben Skowronek (calf) and CB Brandin Echols (hamstring) for Sunday, per Steelers.com. Neither practiced Wednesday or Thursday. No other player on either team had a game designation as of Thursday’s reports.

Steelers (Thursday): Did not participate: WR Ben Skowronek (calf), CB Brandin Echols (hamstring), DT Cameron Heyward (not injury related/rest). Limited: CB Jalen Ramsey (wrist), RB Rico Dowdle (knee), LB Alex Highsmith (groin), LB T.J. Watt (not injury related/rest; calf). Full: S DeShon Elliott (knee), who is on injured reserve and designated for return. Ramsey went from not practicing Wednesday to limited Thursday. Watt, who sat out Wednesday for rest, was limited Thursday and listed with a calf injury.

Saints (Thursday): Did not participate: K Daniel Carlson (not injury related/personal), G Cesar Ruiz (knee), DL Davon Godchaux (not injury related/rest). Limited: EDGE Anfernee Jennings (knee), RB Alvin Kamara (back), LB Kaden Elliss (calf). Full: CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (head), QB Tyler Shough (left hand), QB Spencer Rattler (knee), RB C.J. Donaldson (shoulder), DL Nathan Shepherd (illness). Donaldson went from limited Wednesday to full Thursday. Godchaux and Rattler were added to the report Thursday.

Roster moves: before Thursday’s practice, the Steelers placed DT Sebastian Joseph-Day (triceps) on injured reserve. He did not practice Wednesday. Receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson are also on injured reserve. The Steelers signed receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the practice squad on Tuesday and released safety Rayshawn Jenkins on Wednesday, according to the team’s transactions page.

Local connection: Jaquan Brisker

Steelers safety Jaquan Brisker is a Wilkinsburg native who played at WPIAL power Gateway, according to Steelers.com. After four seasons with the Chicago Bears, he signed a one-year deal with his hometown team in March. Brisker, a Penn State alum, has started all six games this season and has 41 tackles and an interception, which came in the opener against Atlanta, per his Steelers.com player page. His team bio notes he was a two-time captain at Gateway.

The AFC North picture

Three teams are tied at 4-2 in the division: Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Cincinnati is 3-2. The Browns are listed first on NFL.com’s standings and are 2-0 in division games. The Steelers are 1-1 in the division, and the Ravens are 0-1. Cincinnati plays at Baltimore at 1 p.m. Sunday, a few hours after the Steelers and Saints finish in Paris.

What to watch (analysis)

The following is Keystone Clutch Sports analysis, not reported fact.

The receiver room. With Pittman and Wilson on injured reserve and Skowronek ruled out with a calf injury, Pittsburgh’s passing game leans heavily on DK Metcalf and Bernard. Watch whether Valdes-Scantling, who has history with Rodgers and McCarthy, is elevated for the game.
Takeaways vs. turnovers. The turnover numbers favor Pittsburgh on paper. The Saints just won a game on four takeaways, though, so ball security matters for Rodgers, who threw an early interception in Tampa.
Ramsey’s wrist. Ramsey closed out the Tampa Bay win with a sack, missed Wednesday’s practice and was limited Thursday. He has no game designation yet. Echols, who left the Tampa game with a hamstring injury, per the AP, has been ruled out.
The clock. A 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff after an overseas trip is unusual for both teams. The Steelers practiced at home Wednesday and planned a full practice Thursday before leaving for France, per McCarthy’s comments to Steelers.com.

What’s next

After Paris, the Steelers host the Browns on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. on CBS at Acrisure Stadium, then have their bye in Week 9, per the team’s schedule release.

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