The Pittsburgh Steelers moved to 5-2 on Sunday with a 16-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Paris, their third consecutive win. The result keeps them tied for the AFC North lead as the season approaches its halfway point. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, however, was not ready to celebrate.
"We're a 5-2 team, but we're not playing as well as we can at this point," said Rodgers, a four-time MVP. He pointed to too many field goals, too few touchdowns, too many penalties and too few big plays. "It was a gutsy effort," he added. "But we've got to go back, get healthy, play better."
The 42-year-old came back for another season with one aim: to finish a likely Hall of Fame career with another Super Bowl win. The AFC has no clear favorite. Buffalo's defense remains questionable, and Kansas City's strong start cooled off Sunday night in a poor loss at Seattle. Even so, Rodgers wants to see Pittsburgh look like a playoff threat on the field and not only in the standings.
There were encouraging signs against the Saints. Running back Rico Dowdle produced 86 yards of total offense in his best game of the season. That could ease the load on Jaylen Warren, who has been the team's most valuable player through seven weeks. "I think any time we can just line up and give you Jaylen and Rico all day, that's a good day for us," coach Mike McCarthy said.
Rodgers also contributed with his legs. Late in the fourth quarter, two months before his 43rd birthday, he scrambled for a first down on third-and-8. "Sometimes you've got to suck it up and make a play for your guys," he said.
The defense made its own plays. Linebacker Payton Wilson intercepted a Tyler Shough pass deep in Steelers territory in the third quarter to end a New Orleans scoring threat. Pittsburgh forced three fumbles, though the Saints recovered all of them. New Orleans averaged just 1.1 yards per carry, the lowest single-game average the Steelers have allowed since 2015. Linebacker Patrick Queen, who had responded to online criticism of his tackling the previous week against Tampa Bay, finished with 10 tackles and a sack. Safety DeShon Elliott returned from a knee injury and played 19 snaps.
Questions remain about the competition and the offense. All five Steelers wins came in games that were within one score entering the fourth quarter. The quarterbacks they have beaten include Shough, Cooper Rush, Jalon Daniels and the turnover-prone Daniel Jones. Pittsburgh does own a notable win over Joe Burrow and Cincinnati, but the Bengals appear to have improved ahead of a rematch in a couple of weeks. The offense also may not be able to keep relying on drives of 10 to 14 plays, which require few penalties and sacks. A big-play option beyond DK Metcalf would help, but with Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson on injured reserve, none appears to be coming.
Rodgers also noted how hard it is to win in the NFL, especially across the Atlantic on what amounts to a short week. He politely criticized Pittsburgh's decision to travel late Thursday, while the Saints arrived Monday, and hopes the league eventually requires teams to get to international games earlier. The game went ahead despite civil unrest in Paris and other French cities.
Pittsburgh hosts Cleveland next. The Browns beat the Steelers 27-24 in Cleveland earlier this month, and Pittsburgh will look to answer that result at home.
