Game recap

Steelers @ Saints

2026 Wk 7 · NO 10, PIT 16

Shough completed 30 of 38 passes, but a red zone interception left the Saints stuck on 10 points.

FanIQ Research · October 25, 2026 · 6 facts, every one from the play-by-play

Tyler Shough completed 30 of 38 passes and the Saints scored 10. Only four passers since 1999 have hit 30 completions at 75 percent and scored that little.

Rare

Regular season games since 1999 with 30+ completions at 75%+ and 10 or fewer team points

Season	Week	Passer	Team	Comp/Att	Comp%	Yards	Team pts	Opp pts
2014	11	Drew Brees	NO	33/41	80.5%	255	10	27
2016	15	Sam Bradford	MIN	32/42	76.2%	291	6	34
2022	7	Matt Ryan	IND	33/44	75.0%	243	10	19
2026	7	Tyler Shough	NO	30/38	78.9%	278	10	16

That is the complete list. Shough threw for 278 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, and every one of the four games ended in a loss. Two of the four belong to New Orleans passers. The 10 points were also the Saints' lowest of 2026; their previous low was 13 against Minnesota in Week 5.

Why it matters. A completion rate near 79 percent on 38 throws usually produces points, because the offense keeps the chains moving. Here the volume came from short throws that did not finish drives: the Saints' only touchdown was a 1 yard pass, and the one deep red zone trip ended in an interception at the Pittsburgh 11. The list shows how rarely efficiency at this volume fails to convert, and how badly the Saints' scoring lagged the passing line.

The two teams scored 23 points in the first half and 3 in the second.

Split

Score at the end of each quarter

Quarter	PIT	NO
1	3	0
2	13	10
3	16	10
4	16	10

Offensive efficiency by half, pass and run plays

Team	Half	Plays	Yards	EPA/play	Success%
PIT	1st	36	250	0.236	50.0%
PIT	2nd	25	95	-0.040	40.0%
NO	1st	29	156	0.211	34.5%
NO	2nd	28	125	-0.094	50.0%

The only second half points were a 39 yard Chris Boswell field goal with 0:18 left in the third quarter. New Orleans did not score after Devaughn Vele's 1 yard touchdown with 1:48 left in the first half, a span of 31:48 of game clock. Pittsburgh's yardage fell from 250 in the first half to 95 in the second.

Why it matters. Both offenses moved the ball at a positive EPA rate before halftime and both fell below zero after it, so the second half was a defensive game from both sides rather than one team running out the clock. The Saints' success rate actually rose to 50 percent in the second half, but their EPA went negative: they kept gaining modest yardage and gave it back on the interception and a missed 52 yard field goal. Pittsburgh needed only one field goal to protect a 3 point lead.

Payton Wilson's interception at the Pittsburgh 11 cut New Orleans' win probability from 59.9 percent by 20.8 points.

Trend

Largest win probability swings of the game (offense's view)

Qtr	Clock	Offense	Play	WP before	WP change
2	8:34	PIT	Rodgers to DK Metcalf, 51 yards to NO 4	40.6%	+20.9
3	7:43	NO	Shough intercepted by Payton Wilson at PIT 11	59.9%	-20.8
3	12:53	NO	Shough to Devaughn Vele, 24 yards to PIT 36	39.1%	+15.3
2	1:48	NO	Shough to Vele, 1 yard touchdown	40.9%	+14.9
2	13:17	NO	Shough to Barion Brown, 49 yards to PIT 33	49.2%	+10.5
1	14:20	PIT	Jaylen Warren run, 29 yards to NO 29	44.1%	+10.4

Down 13 to 10 in the third quarter, the Saints had driven inside the Pittsburgh 11 when Shough's pass for Chris Olave was picked off. Wilson returned it 18 yards to the Pittsburgh 29. That was the game's only turnover, and New Orleans did not score again. The Metcalf catch set up Darnell Washington's 4 yard touchdown, Pittsburgh's only touchdown of the day.

Why it matters. In a game decided by 6 points with one touchdown per team, a single red zone takeaway carries most of the outcome. The interception came on the play where New Orleans held its highest pre-snap win probability among the game's big swings, so it removed a likely go-ahead score rather than a routine possession. The largest swing for each side came on a pass into or near the red zone, which is where this game was decided.

Pittsburgh converted 10 of 16 third downs, its best rate of the season, after converting 34.7 percent across Weeks 1 to 6.

Comparison

Pittsburgh third down conversion by game, 2026

Week	Opponent	Third downs	Converted	Rate
7	NO	16	10	62.5%
3	CIN	12	7	58.3%
4	CLE	13	5	38.5%
5	IND	11	4	36.4%
6	TB	15	5	33.3%
1	ATL	12	3	25.0%
2	NE	12	2	16.7%

Third downs, this game versus Weeks 1 to 6

Team	This game	Rate	Weeks 1 to 6	Rate
PIT	10 of 16	62.5%	26 of 75	34.7%
NO	6 of 12	50.0%	37 of 87	42.5%

Pittsburgh had 16 third downs, its most in any game this season, and converted more of them than in any other game. New Orleans also beat its own baseline, but faced four fewer third downs and converted four fewer.

Why it matters. Pittsburgh's offense produced only one touchdown, so its third down work mattered for clock and field position more than for points: extending drives kept Rodgers' unit on the field and the Saints' passing game, which completed 78.9 percent, on the sideline. The gap from 34.7 percent to 62.5 percent is large, but 16 attempts is a single game sample, and the season list shows the rate has swung between 16.7 and 62.5 percent from week to week.

Aaron Rodgers is 9 and 3 as a starter since turning 42. Since 1999, only Tom Brady has more wins at that age.

Milestone

Regular season wins by starting QBs aged 42 or older, 1999 to 2026

QB	Starts	Wins
Tom Brady	66	44
Aaron Rodgers	12	9
Vinny Testaverde	6	2
Doug Flutie	1	1
Warren Moon	1	0
Philip Rivers	3	0

Rodgers turned 42 on December 2, 2025. He won four of his five remaining 2025 starts and is 5 and 2 in 2026, with this game his third straight win at 42 or older. He went 19 of 30 for 212 yards and 1 touchdown at Stade de France, with no interceptions.

Why it matters. Starts at this age are rare enough that the list since 1999 is short, and only Brady sustained it over multiple full seasons. Rodgers' win rate of 9 of 12 is not far below Brady's 44 of 66, which matters for Pittsburgh: the team is 5 and 2 and its season currently depends on a passer at an age where most careers have ended. The sample is still small at 12 starts.

The first NFL game at Stade de France was the lowest scoring Steelers and Saints meeting since 1999, at 26 combined points.

Milestone

Every Steelers versus Saints meeting since 1999

Season	Week	Result	Combined pts	Venue
2002	5	NO 32, PIT 29	61	Louisiana Superdome
2006	10	PIT 38, NO 31	69	Heinz Field
2010	8	NO 20, PIT 10	30	Louisiana Superdome
2014	13	NO 35, PIT 32	67	Heinz Field
2018	16	NO 31, PIT 28	59	Mercedes-Benz Superdome
2022	10	PIT 20, NO 10	30	Acrisure Stadium
2026	7	PIT 16, NO 10	26	Stade de France

New Orleans was the designated home team. Pittsburgh had lost all three earlier meetings in this span where it was the road team, in 2002, 2010 and 2018. No other game in the database, which covers 1999 to 2026, lists Stade de France as its venue.

Why it matters. This series has produced 59 or more combined points in four of its seven meetings since 1999, so a 26 point game is a clear break from its usual shape. The neutral site removes the Superdome's crowd from the Saints' side, which is relevant context for Pittsburgh's first win in this span as the listed road team.

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