Pittsburgh Steelers could face a challenge in Paris that has nothing to do with the game against the New Orleans Saints
The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading overseas to face the New Orleans Saints in Paris, France, where hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets. Here is where the league stands and what it could mean for the trip.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a huge win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the NFL is a week-to-week league, and the next stop on the schedule is Paris, France, for a matchup with the New Orleans Saints. That trip comes with a complication nobody planned for.
France is dealing with nationwide protests that have included more than 550,000 people, with 110,000 of them in Paris. So naturally, fans want to know whether the NFL plans to do anything about Pittsburgh’s international game.
Well, it doesn’t seem like it.
NFL says the Steelers-Saints game in Paris will go on as planned
In a statement NFL said: “We continue to work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters. We are also providing the two clubs with regular updates. There has been no disruption or impact at league sites.”
From that statement, everything appears set to go off as scheduled. The league isn’t signaling a venue change or a postponement, and it is keeping both teams in the loop as the situation develops.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that the Saints plan to leave Sunday night after their game to head to Paris. I’ll add that New Orleans won that game, so the Saints will be traveling with some momentum of their own.
Steelers vs. Saints all-time history
- New Orleans leads the series 9-8.
- Most recent game was a 20-10 Steelers win in 2022.
- Teams first met in 1967.
What does this mean for the Steelers’ trip to Paris?
Here’s my main issue with all of this. The NFL can say there has been no disruption at league sites, but what about everything around those sites? What will the travel look like getting in and out of the country? How will the Steelers get around the city to and from their hotel, to and from practice, and to and from the venue on game day?
Per Cam Heyward, the Steelers will leave Thursday night and arrive Friday morning. Meaning, they will practice at least twice in Paris. That means multiple trips across a city where 110,000 people have already been out in the streets.
Practice, team meetings, and the drive to the stadium on Sunday morning in Paris (which is still the middle of the night back in the United States) all require moving an entire NFL roster and staff through the city. In normal circumstances, that is a logistical puzzle. With protests of this size going on, it becomes a much bigger one.
This is a major headache that doesn’t need to be one. The Steelers just put together a big win, and the focus should be on carrying that into a matchup with a Saints team that is also coming off a victory. Instead, there is a real question about how smooth this week will be once Pittsburgh lands in France.
For now, the NFL is making it clear that the show must go on. Whether the trip lives up to that confidence is something we’ll find out once the Steelers arrive in Paris.
