Pittsburgh Defeats New Orleans as Aaron Rodgers Secures Game-Clinching First Down
The Pittsburgh Steelers held off the New Orleans Saints in Week 7, sealed by a late-game scramble from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers secured a 16-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in Paris, closing out the contest behind a decisive late-game run from 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. With the win, the Steelers improved their standing while handing the Saints a frustrating Week 7 loss.
Rodgers sealed the outcome late in the fourth quarter by scrambling for 8 yards and a crucial first down. That lone run by Rodgers surpassed the individual game rushing totals of multiple New Orleans players, highlighting a historically poor ground attack for the Saints.
New Orleans struggled mightily on the ground, finishing the game with just 18 rushing yards on 17 attempts. Saints quarterback Tyler Shough led the team with a mere 7 rushing yards, while teammates Kendre Miller and Alvin Kamara managed only 6 and 5 yards, respectively. The team averaged a dismal 1.06 yards per rush.
“Seventeen runs for 18 yards, it’s going to be hard to win football games doing that,” New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore said after the matchup.
The offensive performance marked only the third time in franchise history, and the first since 1993, that a Saints player failed to gain at least 10 rushing yards in a single game. Despite the lack of a running game, Shough carried the offense through the air, completing 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown to Devaughn Vele.
However, the one-dimensional offense ultimately faltered against Pittsburgh's defense. Shough threw an interception in the red zone during the third quarter, and the offense stalled late in the game. The Steelers capitalized by controlling the ball for the final 5:52, eventually letting Rodgers run out the clock with his clutch first-down scramble.
The Saints now enter their Week 8 bye sitting on a struggling running game that has produced fewer than 100 rushing yards in five games this season. Moore emphasized that the team will use the upcoming break to address their offensive inconsistencies and find ways to alleviate the pressure on their young quarterback.