PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will defeat the New Orleans Saints in their international Week 7 meeting. The Steelers meet the Saints in Paris, France, looking for their fifth victory of the season.
To secure that win, the Steelers have to play a much better game than they did in Week 6. For three quarters, the Steelers gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers every chance possible to win. Finally, they found their footing in the fourth quarter and pulled out the win.
That can't happen again in front of the French crowd against an easy to underestimate Saints team. Thankfully, the Steelers are in a much better position entering Week 7. Due to these three reasons, Pittsburgh will exit Stade de France with their fifth victory of the season.
Running back Jaylen Warren is coming off a disappointing outing compared to his previous three monstrous performances, but he's set for a rebound against the Saints. The biggest reason for this is because New Orleans has not produced a good run defense in 2026.
Through their first six contests, the Saints are allowing 138 rushing yards per game. That figure ranks as the third-worst in the NFL so far. The Saints are one of the worst-performing defenses so far in 2026, but they are especially vulnerable against the run. That's a perfect scenario for Warren to return to his 100-yard rushing form and possibly even more.
Another factor is the health of Rico Dowdle. He enters Week 7 questionable with a knee injury. If he can't go at 100%, the Steelers will be heavily reliant on Warren.
Sep 13, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig (51) takes the field to play the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After outside linebacker Nick Herbig exploded in Week 6, recording two sacks in the win, the Steelers are expecting a game-wrecker to appear once again in Paris.
Herbig lived up to his big contract extension against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Steelers are counting on him to bring that production against the Saints as well. Not only because he has momentum, but because both T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are dealing with minor injuries ahead of the matchup.
Herbig is healthy and raring to go. That's trouble for Saints quarterback Tyler Shough.
DeShon Elliott is back on the Steelers' active roster after nearly a year due to a major knee injury. The star defender has been sorely missed by the Steelers' defense, and his possible return comes at the perfect time.
The Steelers have been a solid, but imperfect defense in 2026. They started red-hot, but after a couple of tough weeks, they have issues that can be exploited.
One of those blemishes is the safety position. The team released veteran Rayshawn Jenkins after two weeks of playing nearly zero snaps, leaving Jaquan Brisker, Robert Spears-Jennings and Jalen Ramsey as the only safeties on the active roster.
With Elliott back in the mix, the safety position suddenly shifts from worrisome to the position that sets the tone on defense. The Saints will find that out first-hand.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi as 3 Reasons Steelers Will Beat Saints in Paris .
