The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up their second international victory in as many years on Sunday, Oct. 25, by beating the New Orleans Saints by a 16-10 margin at Stade de France outside Paris.
It was far from the prettiest win of the season. First-year coach Mike McCarthy’s offense
managed only one touchdown, and the defense was on its heels at times against the Saints passing game led by quarterback Tyler Shough.Nevertheless, the Steelers continue to lead the AFC North as they head into a crucial divisional rematch against the Cleveland Browns team that beat them on Thursday Night Football in early October.
Here’s a look at USA TODAY’s report card on the effort that led to victory in the first NFL regular season game in France.
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Quarterback - B
Aaron Rodgers threw it deep more often than he has the past couple of weeks, to mixed results. He hit receiver DK Metcalf for a 51-yard play that set up the offense’s only touchdown of the day. He later scrambled and found receiver Brandon Smith for an impressive 20-yard conversion. He also overthrew some open receivers, which contributed to the Steelers settling for three field goals on a day that they were otherwise moving the ball well. The short passing game success is great, but you’d like to see him hitting on more of the longer throws than he has been of late.
Running backs - A+
Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren accounted for 223 yards from scrimmage against the Saints. Not much more is needed to be said about it than that. These guys are making the most of every touch right now, and Dowdle looks like he might be starting to get as hot as Warren has been in recent weeks now that he’s returned from his Week 2 toe injury.
Receivers - B-
Were it not for the long catch Metcalf made, it might have been a much more frustrating afternoon for the veteran. He finished with just two catches on six targets. The other catch went for just five yards. Alas, he made the biggest play of the day that put the Steelers in position to win, so he should be credited for that. It was encouraging to see Smith make an important contribution with Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson still nursing injuries. And Germie Bernard might have had a better performance were it not for some of the aforementioned overthrows.
Tight ends - C
Darnell Washington made the most athletic play of the game on his toe-tapping 4-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers in the first half, allowing the quarterback to pass Peyton Manning for third on the NFL’s all-time list for touchdown passes. Unfortunately, that was his only catch. Pat Freiermuth had two catches for 20 yards but dropped a red zone pass in the second half that forced the Steelers to settle for a field goal.
Offensive line - B
The Saints got to Rodgers for three sacks, but he had plenty of clean pockets to work with, too. Pro Football Focus data registered just six other pressures, all hurries and no QB hits. In the running game, Warren and Dowdle were able to find plenty of holes. The Steelers averaged a robust 4.9 yards per carry as a team and were consistently comfortable with running on third downs, a sign of McCarthy’s belief in his line’s ability to push the opponent around.
Defensive line - A
The Saints totaled just 18 rushing yards, at a paltry average of 1.1 yards per carry. Seven of those yards came on scrambles from Tyler Shough, a reflection of just how well the Steelers’ were tracking ball carriers. In the passing game, Shough had three passes batted at the line of scrimmage. A little more pressure might have been nice, but the Saints did a nice job of using the Steelers’ offensive tactics against them with short and quick throws that beat the rush. Shough's time to throw was a season-low 2.49 seconds, per PFF.
Linebackers - A
Payton Wilson came up with a game-changing interception to start the second half, and Patrick Queen nearly had one of his own. Neither was a major liability in the passing game, as Shough increasingly relied on throws toward the sideline. They also had a major part in slowing the New Orleans running game. T.J. Watt added a sack that looked to be a strip and recovery as well at first before replay assist overturned it.
Secondary - C+
The degree to which New Orleans became one dimensional offensively is a complicating factor here. The defensive backs were playing basically every snap in coverage by the second half, so it’s not necessarily a damning indictment that some production leaked through. Shough finished the day with completions on 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards. Forty-nine of those yards came on a single pass play to Barion Brown that set up the Saints’ only field goal.
Coaching - B-
As good as Patrick Graham’s defense was against the run, the interception of Shough to start the second half and Daniel Carlson’s missed 52-yard field goal amounted to major second-half bailouts against a Saints offense that was moving the ball. McCarthy’s offense moved the ball but didn’t produce the points necessary to put this team away long before the Steelers ultimately did.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Rodgers was good enough in Paris, but RBs were sublime: Steelers report card
