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A New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers matchup is one of the rarest pairings on the NFL calendar. The two franchises play in different conferences, they have met only 17 times since 1967, and the last meeting happened almost four years ago. This Sunday, October 25, 2026, the series moves to a brand-new stage. Week 7 brings the first regular-season NFL game ever played in France, with kickoff set for 9:30 a.m. ET (3:30 p.m. in Paris and 7:00 p.m. IST) at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, live on NFL Network.

Pittsburgh arrives at 4-2 after a gritty overtime win in Tampa Bay, while New Orleans sits at 2-4 after beating the New York Giants 34-27 to snap a three-game losing streak. On paper the Steelers are the favorite, laying 3.5 points in a game where the Saints are officially the home team. But anyone who has watched New Orleans Saints games and Pittsburgh Steelers games this month knows neither offense is a lock to dominate, and the total sits at just 44.5, one of the lower numbers on the Week 7 board.

So here is everything that matters before kickoff: where each team stands, the full head-to-head history, a breakdown of the last time these two shared a field, the best players to watch, injury news, the betting angle, and a final score prediction. New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers matches like this one do not come around often, so if you cannot watch live, Saints vs Steelers highlights will be easy to find right after the final whistle.

New Orleans Saints: Tyler Shough and a Defense Looking for Answers

The Saints have lived on a rollercoaster this season. They opened with a 31-30 overtime loss at Detroit, then beat Baltimore 24-17 on the road in Week 2. After that came three straight losses: a 35-27 home defeat against Las Vegas, a 45-24 Monday night loss to Atlanta, and a 23-13 loss to Minnesota. Last Sunday at MetLife Stadium, New Orleans finally put together a full game, beating the Giants 34-27 and breaking the skid.

The offense runs through quarterback Tyler Shough, who has thrown for 1,443 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 65.1 percent of his passes. He had more than 250 passing yards in each of his first four games, though he threw for only 144 yards against the Giants. The efficiency was still there, because three of his 14 completions went for touchdowns, and he was not sacked. In the red zone, Shough has been nearly perfect, going 20-of-26 with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.

What Makes the Saints Tick

• Tyler Shough leads an offense that scores 25.3 points per game, good for a top-12 ranking, and the Saints own the league’s second-best red zone offense at 84.2 percent
• Chris Olave has 43 catches for 580 yards and two touchdowns, the second-most receiving yards in the NFL, even though he has been held to four catches in each of the last two games
• Alvin Kamara became the sixth player in NFL history to reach 5,000 career rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards, joining Marshall Faulk, Lenny Moore, Marcus Allen, Christian McCaffrey and Tiki Barber
• Kendre Miller and CJ Donaldson Jr. share the backfield load, and the Saints ran for 175 yards against the Giants
• Chase Young leads the defense with 5.5 sacks, and cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after the win in New York

Saints Snapshot

Detail	New Orleans Saints
Division	NFC South
Head coach	Kellen Moore
Starting QB	Tyler Shough
Designated home field	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Recent form	2-4 to start 2026
2026 results	Lost at Lions 31-30 OT (Wk 1), beat Ravens 24-17 (Wk 2), lost to Raiders 35-27 (Wk 3), lost to Falcons 45-24 (Wk 4), lost to Vikings 23-13 (Wk 5), beat Giants 34-27 (Wk 6)
Key injuries	G Cesar Ruiz (out), RB Alvin Kamara (back, limited), QB Tyler Shough (left hand, full participant)

The New Orleans Saints standings do not look as bleak as the record suggests. The Atlanta Falcons are also 2-4, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 1-5, and the Carolina Panthers lead the NFC South at 3-2. A win in Paris would send the Saints into their Week 8 bye on their first winning streak of the season, followed by two straight home games at the Caesars Superdome.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers Leads a Tough, Opportunistic Team

Mike McCarthy’s Steelers have not always looked pretty, but they find ways to win. Pittsburgh beat Atlanta 20-13 in Week 1, lost 20-3 at New England, edged Cincinnati 30-27, fell 27-24 at Cleveland on a Thursday night, and beat Indianapolis 34-22. Then came a 26-19 overtime win at Tampa Bay, the team’s first road victory of the season. The Steelers trailed by 13 entering the fourth quarter and still found a way to tie it, win it and move to 4-2.

Aaron Rodgers has completed 61.4 percent of his throws for 1,487 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. Since joining Pittsburgh, he has 36 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions in 22 games. The Steelers lean heavily on the pass, and their average time to throw of 2.71 seconds is faster than all but three offenses in the league. That quick game has kept Rodgers upright, though Pittsburgh still allows 3.2 sacks per game.

What Makes the Steelers Tick

• Aaron Rodgers has the Steelers passing on 66.2 percent of their plays, the second-highest rate in the league
• DK Metcalf has 30 catches for 318 yards and a touchdown, and he caught 11 passes for 93 yards on a season-high 15 targets at Tampa Bay
• Germie Bernard caught his first NFL touchdown in overtime against the Buccaneers and has 17 catches for 167 yards over the last two games
• Jaylen Warren has 460 of Pittsburgh’s 595 rushing yards, and he played 31 of 37 snaps in the fourth quarter and overtime last week
• T.J. Watt leads the defense with 4.5 sacks, and the unit allows just 21.3 points per game, 12th in the league

Steelers Snapshot

Detail	Pittsburgh Steelers
Division	AFC North
Head coach	Mike McCarthy
Starting QB	Aaron Rodgers
Home field	Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
Recent form	4-2 to start 2026
2026 results	Beat Falcons 20-13 (Wk 1), lost at Patriots 20-3 (Wk 2), beat Bengals 30-27 (Wk 3), lost at Browns 27-24 (Wk 4), beat Colts 34-22 (Wk 5), beat Bucs 26-19 in OT (Wk 6)
Key injuries	WR Roman Wilson (injured reserve), DB Brandin Echols (hamstring), WR Ben Skowronek (calf), T.J. Watt (calf, full participant on the final report)

The Pittsburgh Steelers standings look healthy at 4-2, and the team is one of only two clubs, along with Buffalo, to start 4-2 or better in each of the past four seasons. The Steelers arrived in Paris on Friday morning, and their planned walkthrough at the stadium was scrapped because of weather. The Saints, meanwhile, spent the entire week in France practicing in Versailles.

NFL Schedule This Week

Sunday’s game is the early kickoff of the Week 7 slate, with San Francisco and Atlanta following at 1 p.m. ET. The Pittsburgh Steelers schedule is also tricky, because the road trip ends in Paris and the team returns home for a divisional matchup next week. For New Orleans Saints games, the schedule offers a bye in Week 8, followed by a pair of home games at the Superdome.

Team	Next Matchup	Date	Location
Pittsburgh Steelers	Vs. Cleveland Browns	Sunday, Nov. 1 (1:00 p.m. ET)	Pittsburgh, PA
New Orleans Saints	Bye week	Week 8	N/A
New Orleans Saints	Vs. Cleveland Browns	Sunday, Nov. 8 (1:00 p.m. ET)	New Orleans, LA
Pittsburgh Steelers	At Cincinnati Bengals	Sunday, Nov. 15 (8:20 p.m. ET)	Cincinnati, OH

Head-to-Head History: The Full Timeline

The Saints hold a narrow edge in the all-time series, winning nine of the 17 meetings, and the New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers matches since 2002 have gone New Orleans’ way four times in six tries. Pittsburgh won the most recent game, and the two teams have never met in the postseason.

Date	Winner	Location	Score	Notes
11/13/2022	Steelers	Pittsburgh	20-10	Najee Harris and Kenny Pickett powered a 217-yard rushing day
12/23/2018	Saints	New Orleans	31-28	Saints (13-2) edged the Steelers (8-6-1)
11/30/2014	Saints	Pittsburgh	35-32	Drew Brees threw five touchdowns; Ben Roethlisberger threw for 435 yards
10/31/2010	Saints	New Orleans	20-10	Brees went 34-of-44 for 305 yards and two scores
11/12/2006	Steelers	Pittsburgh	38-31	Brees threw for 398 yards, Marques Colston had 169 receiving
10/06/2002	Saints	New Orleans	32-29	Deuce McAllister ran for 123 yards
11/19/1984	Saints	New Orleans	27-24	The first Monday Night Football win in Saints history
11/25/1974	Steelers	New Orleans	28-7	One of five Pittsburgh wins in seven meetings from 1974 to 1993

The New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers stats across the series are almost perfectly balanced, but the way the games have played out tells a different story. Whoever scores 16 points or more tends to win.

A Few Things Worth Pointing Out

• Zero playoff meetings between these franchises, so all 17 games have been regular season contests
• The Saints are 9-1 in the series when they score at least 16 points
• Four of the last six meetings were decided by one score
• Seven games since 1993 make Pittsburgh the Saints’ least frequent opponent, excluding the Houston Texans
• The Saints have won only three times in Pittsburgh, in 1968, 1987 and 2014
• This is the first meeting since November 2022, so both rosters have turned over significantly

Steelers vs Saints Mythology: A Patron Saint, a Steel City and a Stadium Named for a Legend

There is a fun side note buried in this matchup that has nothing to do with the standings. Steelers vs Saints mythology starts with the host city itself. Stade de France sits in Saint-Denis, a suburb named after the patron saint of France, who according to legend was beheaded in Paris and walked miles carrying his own head. For a team called the Saints, it is a strangely perfect backdrop.

The names themselves tell stories. New Orleans was awarded its NFL franchise on November 1, 1966, which is All Saints’ Day, and the name stuck along with the jazz anthem “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Pittsburgh became the Steelers in 1940, a nod to the city’s steel industry. Nobody in the NFL scheduling office was thinking about any of that when they put this Saints vs Steelers game in Paris, but it makes for a nice coincidence. In the end, this series has always been decided by far more ordinary things, like a late touchdown in 2014, a ground game in 2022, and Drew Brees in nearly every other year.

Three Eras of the Rivalry

Era 1: Early Meetings and Steelers Strength (1967-1993). The series began in 1967, and the teams met four times in the 1960s, with Pittsburgh winning only once. The Steelers dominated the 1970s and 1980s, winning five of seven between 1974 and 1993, though New Orleans picked up two famous wins: the 1984 Monday Night Football game and a road win in Pittsburgh in 1987.

Era 2: The Brees Years (2002-2018). Drew Brees owned this series. New Orleans won in 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018, with only the 2006 game at Heinz Field going to the Steelers. Brees threw for 398 yards in that loss and 305 yards in the 2010 win, and he had five touchdown passes in the 2014 thriller.

Era 3: The Modern Matchups (2022-Present). Pittsburgh won the last meeting 20-10 behind a strong rushing attack and a defense that kept the Saints out of the end zone for most of the day. Now, with Rodgers at quarterback and Moore coaching against his former boss McCarthy, the series moves overseas.

The Last Time These Two Teams Met: Steelers 20, Saints 10 (Nov. 13, 2022)

Sunday’s game is still unplayed, so the 2022 chapter of the New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers matches remains the best snapshot of how this series has gone lately. Pittsburgh was 3-6 and had rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett under center, while the Saints were 3-7 and starting Andy Dalton. The Steelers won with a ground game that produced 217 yards on 43 carries and a defense that got T.J. Watt back from injury.

The game was tied 10-10 entering the fourth quarter. Matthew Wright kicked a 33-yard field goal to put Pittsburgh ahead, then safety Damontae Kazee intercepted Dalton, setting up a one-yard Pickett touchdown run that made it 20-10. A second Dalton interception sealed the win, and the Saints scored only once, on a 15-yard pass from Dalton to Juwan Johnson.

Passing Leaders

• Kenny Pickett (PIT): 18 of 30, 199 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
• Andy Dalton (NO): 17 of 27, 174 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT

Rushing Leaders

• Najee Harris (PIT): 20 carries, 99 yards
• Kenny Pickett (PIT): 51 rushing yards and a touchdown
• Jaylen Warren (PIT): 9 carries, 37 yards

Receiving Leaders

• Diontae Johnson (PIT): 4 catches, 63 yards
• Juwan Johnson (NO): 1 touchdown catch, 15 yards

Several players from that day are still involved. Watt and Warren remain on Pittsburgh’s roster, while Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson are still catching passes for New Orleans.

Where Both Teams Stand Entering Sunday’s Game

Six games into the season, the numbers show two teams that look more alike on offense than their records suggest. Both offenses rank in the middle of the pack in yardage, both are in the top 20 in scoring, and both quarterbacks have 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. Before looking at the numbers below, it is worth framing this New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers match player stats snapshot simply: the defenses and turnover margin are what separate these two teams.

Stat	New Orleans Saints	Pittsburgh Steelers
Record	2-4	4-2
Points per game	25.3	22.8
Points allowed per game	29.7	21.3
Total offense (yards per game)	321.5	320.5
Rushing offense	97.3	99.2
Passing offense	224.2	221.3
Total defense	377.7	307.5
Rushing defense	138.0	103.2
Turnover margin	-3	+3
Time of possession	28:54	30:42
Defensive sacks	15	16
Starting QB	Tyler Shough: 1,443 yds, 12 TD, 5 INT	Aaron Rodgers: 1,487 yds, 12 TD, 5 INT
Betting line	Saints +3.5	Steelers -3.5

The New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers stats tell an interesting story about discipline. The Saints have allowed a league-high 49 points off turnovers and have given up 26 red-zone trips, the most in the NFL, while the Steelers have allowed only 10, the fewest. Pittsburgh also has 10 takeaways, second most in the league. If the Saints cannot protect the football, this game could get away from them early.

Best Top Players to Watch

Both rosters have game-changing skill players, so New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers matches always come down to which stars show up. The New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers match player stats through six weeks point to these names as the ones worth circling.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh. He has 12 touchdowns, 1,487 yards and a 61.4 completion percentage. The Steelers rely on quick throws, and Rodgers has averaged only 3.7 and 3.8 air yards per attempt over the last two games, so look for short passes and a lot of screens against a Saints defense that allowed 377 passing yards in Week 6.

Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans. He leads the Saints with 1,443 yards and 12 touchdowns and has been outstanding in the red zone. He will face a Pittsburgh defense that has allowed only one multi-touchdown passing game this season, and Joe Burrow is the only passer to do it.

Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans. He ranks second in the league in receiving yards with 580 and averages 96.7 yards per game. Olave has gone quiet in two straight games, and he was dealing with an illness last week, so a bounce-back would be a big boost.

DK Metcalf, WR, Pittsburgh. He has 318 receiving yards and a touchdown, but he has had fewer than 40 yards in four of six games. When Metcalf is targeted heavily, as he was with 15 looks against Tampa Bay, he produces.

Top Players to Watch

T.J. Watt, OLB, Pittsburgh. He has 4.5 sacks and is listed as a full participant after a calf scare. His matchup against the Saints’ offensive line, which is missing guard Cesar Ruiz, is one of the biggest in the game.

Chase Young, DE, New Orleans. He has 5.5 sacks, including one and a half against the Giants. Young will test Pittsburgh’s tackles, especially because the Steelers allow 3.2 sacks per game.

Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans. He had 69 yards and a touchdown on nine touches against the Giants and left briefly with a back issue. He is limited in practice, but his role as a receiver out of the backfield makes him a key factor.

Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh. He has 460 of the Steelers’ 595 rushing yards, and New Orleans has allowed a league-high 12 touchdowns to running backs. Expect a heavy dose of Warren, especially in the second half.

Jalen Ramsey, CB/S, Pittsburgh. He had two sacks and four tackles for loss last week, and the Steelers use him in many roles. He is on the injury report, so his status is worth watching.

Germie Bernard, WR, Pittsburgh. With Roman Wilson on injured reserve, Bernard has become a trusted target. He has caught 17 passes for 167 yards over the past two games.

Coaching Matchup: Moore vs. McCarthy

This is a matchup of old colleagues. New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore served as Mike McCarthy’s offensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys from 2020 to 2022, and the 2021 Cowboys led the NFL in total offense and scoring. McCarthy, meanwhile, was the Saints’ offensive coordinator from 2000 to 2004, so he knows the city well.

Factor	New Orleans (Moore)	Pittsburgh (McCarthy)
Experience level	Former Cowboys OC under McCarthy	Veteran head coach, former Saints OC
Quarterback situation	Tyler Shough, 12 TD, 5 INT	Aaron Rodgers, 12 TD, 5 INT
Offensive identity	11 personnel, quick throws, strong red zone play	Pass-heavy, short throws, Warren in the ground game
Defensive concern	30th in points allowed, 30th against the run	Third-down offense (28th) and sack protection
Program status	Retooling, 2-4	Steady contender, 4-2

Neither coach has much room for error on Sunday.

Betting Angle: What the Odds Say

The line for this game opened with Pittsburgh favored by 2.5 points, and it has moved to 3.5 as of Friday. The total opened at 42.5 and is now 44.5. Win-probability models also favor the Steelers, giving Pittsburgh roughly a 61 percent chance to win. That tells you oddsmakers see this as a one-score game, even with the Saints playing as the home team.

The New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers stats on trends point in a few directions. The Saints have not scored first in any game this season, they score only 0.4 points per drive in the first quarter, and they allow 5.8 yards per play, which ranks better than just five defenses. On the other hand, the Saints produce 2.62 points per drive in the second half, sixth best in the NFL. Anyone leaning on New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers match player stats before making a pick should weight turnovers heavily, because the Saints have a minus-three margin and the Steelers a plus-three.

Prediction: Steelers 27, Saints 20

This Saints vs Steelers game has a tough, physical feel to it. The New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers match player stats from the first six weeks suggest that Pittsburgh has the cleaner roster. The Steelers are first in the league in fewest red zone trips allowed, their pass defense ranks eighth, and the Saints rank near the bottom in rushing defense and points allowed. Against a Pittsburgh team that wants to get Warren going, that is a rough combination.

But the Saints are not without hope. Pittsburgh is 28th in third-down offense, goes three-and-out on nearly 30 percent of its drives, and has a short passing game that can stall. The Saints also spent the week adjusting to the six-hour time change in France, while the Steelers arrived Friday morning. If Shough protects the football and Olave breaks loose, New Orleans can absolutely stay within a score.

The edge belongs to Pittsburgh because of its takeaway ability, its better defense and its more reliable offense in the red zone. Some experts predict a bigger Steelers win, with one projection calling for 31-20, and a final score around 27-20 fits this matchup nicely.

Where to Watch New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers

• TV: NFL Network
• Streaming: NFL+ (eligibility varies by device and market)
• Broadcast crew: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Jason Kelce and Kurt Warner (analysts) and Molly McGrath (sideline)
• Kickoff: 9:30 a.m. ET, 3:30 p.m. in Paris and 7:00 p.m. IST at Stade de France in Saint-Denis
• Weather: Partly cloudy, around 60 degrees, a very low chance of rain and a breeze near 15 mph, according to the latest forecast
• Saints radio: WWL 105.3 FM and 870 AM
• Steelers radio: Steelers Audio Network on WDVE 102.5 FM and WBGG 970 AM, plus SiriusXM channel 263

The short answer on where to watch New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers is NFL Network, and a full set of Saints vs Steelers highlights will be posted on NFL.com and the league’s social channels shortly after the game ends.

What’s Next for Both Teams

Pittsburgh’s season hinges on whether the offense can keep scoring when the passing game gets stuck. The Pittsburgh Steelers standings will look even better at 5-2 than at 4-3, and the Pittsburgh Steelers schedule offers a good chance to build momentum. The Steelers host Cleveland on November 1, take a bye in Week 9, and then travel to Cincinnati on November 15 for Sunday Night Football.

New Orleans gets its Week 8 bye after Paris, then hosts the Browns on November 8 and the Panthers on November 15. A win Sunday would give them a winning streak for the first time and a real chance to get back into the NFC South race. A loss would drop them to 2-5. The New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers stats from Sunday will shape both stories, and the next few New Orleans Saints standings updates will show whether this team is ready to climb.

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Source: NFL