Saints’ Run Game Disappears in Paris as Steelers Hand New Orleans a Costly Loss

The New Orleans Saints traveled across the Atlantic hoping a historic afternoon in Paris would become the beginning of a winning streak. I was really hoping that Kellen Moore was going to out-coach Pittsburgh. Instead, the Saints are flying home with the same offensive question that has followed them for much of this season: Where is the running game when they actually need it?

New Orleans fell 16-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Stade de France, dropping the Saints to 2-5 heading into their bye week. Pittsburgh improved to 5-2 after controlling the football, winning the turnover battle and completely shutting down New Orleans on the ground. 

The final score says the Saints lost by six and the statistics tell us why. 

After rushing for a season-high 175 yards against the Giants last week, New Orleans managed just 18 rushing yards on 17 attempts against Pittsburgh.

That's not a typo.

Kendre Miller carried eight times for six yards. Alvin Kamara had six carries for five yards. Quarterback Tyler Shough actually led the Saints with seven rushing yards.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh ran 30 times for 148 yards, with Jaylen Warren producing 101 yards on 18 carries.

There's your football game.

New Orleans spent last week showing us exactly what its offense could look like when Shough wasn't responsible for carrying everything. Then the Saints went to Paris and completely lost that balance.

Shough attempted 38 passes on Sunday. The Saints had 17 rushing attempts. Against a Pittsburgh defense built to attack quarterbacks, that's exactly where the Steelers wanted New Orleans.

Shough's afternoon wasn't terrible.

He completed 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown. He found Devaughn Vele for a 1-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, tying the game at 10. Shough also connected with Barion Brown on a beautiful 49-yard pass and repeatedly found ways to extend drives under pressure.

But the mistake everyone will remember came in the third quarter.

With New Orleans threatening in the red zone, Shough threw an interception to Payton Wilson. Pittsburgh converted the turnover into Chris Boswell's 39-yard field goal, extending its lead to 16-10.

That's the difference between encouraging quarterback numbers and winning quarterback football.

When your quarterback completes nearly 79% of his passes and throws for 278 yards, he has given you opportunities.

But young quarterbacks have to learn that red-zone turnovers carry a different weight. Three points there changes the entire fourth quarter. Seven might change the outcome.

Kamara's box score perfectly illustrates New Orleans' offensive problem.

Five rushing yards. Fifty-seven receiving yards.

He caught seven passes and became one of Shough's most reliable outlets, but Pittsburgh essentially eliminated him as a traditional running threat.

That forced the Saints into exactly the kind of offense they shouldn't want: Shough dropping back repeatedly while Pittsburgh knows the run isn't coming.

New Orleans finished with 281 total yards and averaged 4.9 yards per play. Pittsburgh controlled possession for 32:03 and finished with 343 yards.

Those aren't overwhelming differences, but twenty-eight rushing yards is.

The Saints are 2-5 and that's where we have to start.

Last week's victory over the Giants gave New Orleans a chance to enter the bye at 3-4 with consecutive wins and some legitimate momentum.

Instead, the Saints are heading home needing another reset.

Shough showed some good things Sunday. Completing 30 passes against Pittsburgh isn't meaningless. The defense kept Rodgers from turning the NFL's Paris debut into his personal highlight reel.

But football gets really difficult when your running backs combine for 11 rushing yards and that cannot happen moving forward.

The bye gives Kellen Moore and staff time to evaluate everything. It's time to look at the offensive line, the run concepts, Shough's development and how this offense needs to function during the second half of the season.

The Saints don't need Shough attempting nearly 40 passes every Sunday. They need balance. The crazy thing is that they found it against the Giants and unfortunately lost it in Paris.