Pittsburgh Steelers Overcome New Orleans Saints in Historic Paris Victory
By Josh Harris, 18, Sports Correspondent
The Pittsburgh Steelers made it three wins on the bounce last Sunday after a fierce battle against the New Orleans Saints saw them emerge as 16-10 victors on Parisian soil.
Darnell Washington proved to be the hero for the Steelers, with his stunning contested-catch touchdown reception ultimately making the difference between the two sides.
There was unprecedented excitement across Paris as the NFL brought American football to France for the first time, marking another milestone in the league's hugely successful international expansion.
The Steelers' ground game exploded into action on the opening drive, with star running back Jaylen Warren finding a huge gain of 29 yards on the second play of the game. However, the drive was subsequently cut short by the Saints' defence after a floated pass intended for Metcalf fell incomplete on third down, forcing the Steelers to settle for a field goal.
The Saints responded with a field goal of their own early in the second quarter, following a wild sequence of plays that ended with three points for the designated home team.
New Orleans quarterback Tyler Shough opened the drive with a 49-yard bomb to Brown, marching his side into opposition territory.
Moments later, on the same drive, the Steelers thought they had secured the first turnover of the day after T.J. Watt was first to jump on the loose ball following a strip-sack of Shough. However, after further review, the quarterback was ruled down by contact, and the Saints were able to level the game with a 38-yard field goal from Carlson.
The next drive proved golden for the Steelers, with 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers completing a 51-yard dime to Metcalf to put Pittsburgh in prime position to retake the lead.
This turned out to be the deepest completion of the day for either side.
The next passing play sent the 80,000-strong crowd into a frenzy as Darnell Washington, affectionately referred to as 'Mount Mashington' by the Steelers faithful, rose highest to haul in the first-ever touchdown in France, putting Pittsburgh ahead 10-3.
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However, the elation didn't last long for the Pittsburghers. A gutsy decision by Saints head coach Kellen Moore to go for it on fourth down led to an equalising touchdown reception by Vele.
On the previous play, the Steelers had again been denied a potential turnover after Miller's fumble was also ruled down by contact. The Saints subsequently tied the game at 10-10.
With just 1:40 remaining in the first half, the Steelers drove the ball downfield efficiently to set up a 47-yard field goal from Boswell as the clock hit zero.
HALF-TIME: Steelers 13-10 Saints
The Saints had possession to open the second half, but after promising signs early in the drive, disaster struck for New Orleans. Shough's mistimed throw was spectacularly intercepted by Payton Wilson, earning him his first career interception and plunging the Saints into a world of trouble.
This was just the beginning of a wretched second half for the home side.
Following this, a third Boswell field goal extended the Steelers' lead to six as the clock ticked down towards the end of the third quarter.
Throughout the second half, the Saints' offence was stagnant, to say the least.
However, things went from bad to worse when Carlson's 52-yard field goal attempt skewed wide of the upright, leaving the Saints with a mountain to climb late in the fourth quarter.
It was a vintage moment from Steelers veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers that secured the victory late on. His eight-yard scramble earned his side a first down and left the Saints with no chance of stopping the clock.
After running out the clock, the Steelers were crowned victorious in Paris, much to the delight of the thousands of Pittsburgh fans in attendance.
FULL-TIME: Steelers 16-10 Saints
Following the conclusion of the game, Rodgers said:
"It was a gutsy victory, but we've got to clean things up, get healthy, and get ready for the rest of the season."
