The Pittsburgh Steelers are leaving Paris thankful for their latest international experience.
It helps that first-year coach Mike McCarthy, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Co. were able to secure a 16-10 win against New Orleans on Sunday, Oct. 25 in the NFL’s first regular-season game in France.
Rodgers and the offense moved the ball well, and the defense came up with timely stops to thwart multiple Saints scoring threats in the second half.
The novelty of the event was also something all involved spoke glowingly about after the game, one year after the Steelers played the first NFL game in Ireland.
“I prefer the Guinness over any of the beers in France, no offense.
I’ve always been a Guinness lover,” Rodgers told reporters after the game. “We had a great time in Ireland. Fantastic time. And we had a great time here. I think it’s great what the league’s doing. Expanding like this to be able to play in the first game in Paris in the league’s history is great.
“I thought both stadiums were really cool. Obviously love the stadium in Ireland. But this one, with the interior the way it was, I thought could trap some of the sound. You can amplify the sound here, so it was a good experience. A lot of great fans in both places. I mean, Pittsburgh travels well. There was a ton of Terrible Towels in Ireland. Same with here. So, we had two great experiences, and it’s nice to get two wins.”
In fact, Steelers fans flooded Stade de France in what was technically a Saints home game. Officially, 78,488 spectators turned out to the venue in Saint-Denis, a suburb to the north of Central Paris.
The same was true a year ago when the Steelers won the first regular season game in Ireland. They beat the Minnesota Vikings by a 24-21 margin at Croke Park in Dublin.
Rodgers said he’s “always” wanted to be involved in more international games. He’s now played in four in his 22-season career, with two of them coming in just the past two years. He lamented the proposal to play a full international week with 16 games abroad losing momentum at different points in his career, and he called out the owners for not following through on the idea.
“I think it would have been phenomenal for the game,” Rodgers said. “Now, the owners wanted to push for 17 games for the extra revenue and because they care so much about player safety. But it would have been nice. I think there’s 16 opportunities.
“I wish there was a mandate, though, from the league. And they would have to open up their pocket books, too, which, maybe they’re a little tight on money and stuff. But I think they should mandate every team coming over on Sunday or Monday to really enjoy the culture and the place you’re going. And you can do events in those cities and outreach stuff and community work. But they won’t because they’re a little tight.”
The Steelers didn’t travel to Ireland or France until the Thursday before their Sunday games in those two countries, so opportunities to get out were limited.
The Saints travelled immediately following the conclusion of their Week 6 win against New York, so the two teams pursued different approaches to the international challenge.
Civil unrest loomed over the week’s proceedings. Some protests have devolved into destructive riots since late September, leading to thousands of arrests and the enforcement of curfews. The NFL faced questions about whether proceeding with the game was wise.
For his part, McCarthy was glad that everything went off as planned.
“I won’t say it overshadowed the game at all,” he said in his post-game news conference. “I know a lot of our team had their families and friends here. I know everybody really enjoyed Friday, but just with the uncertainty Saturday, we kind of stayed close to the hotel.
“But France is a beautiful place. This is my first time here. Would love the opportunity to some day get to come back and enjoy it. My wife loves Paris. It’s a beautiful country.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Rodgers calls out NFL owners, wants to see more international games
