Steelers at Saints Preview: Aaron Rodgers Takes a Thin Receiver Room to Paris for the NFL's First Game in France

The NFL plays its first regular-season game in France on Sunday, and Aaron Rodgers takes a short-handed Pittsburgh offense to the Stade de France to face the New Orleans Saints. The Steelers (4-2) and Saints (2-4) kick off at 9:30 a.m. ET (1:30 p.m. in Paris), and most sportsbooks have Pittsburgh as a 2.5-point favorite with a 44.5 total, though a few books have shown -3. The moneyline sits around Pittsburgh -144.

Rodgers arrives in form. He has thrown multiple touchdown passes in four straight games, and per DAZN his 539 career touchdown passes put him level with Peyton Manning, a New Orleans native. One more in Paris would move him into third on the all-time list. Last week at Tampa Bay he completed 33 of 49 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, then won it in overtime with a 6-yard touchdown to rookie Germie Bernard.

How Both Teams Got Here

Pittsburgh rallied from 16-3 down in the fourth quarter to beat the Buccaneers 26-19 in overtime, its first road win of the season. The defense set it up: Jalen Ramsey had two sacks and Nick Herbig two more, and Jamel Dean's interception return set up the go-ahead field goal in regulation. Rodgers has had stable protection, with the same five offensive linemen starting since Week 3, per DAZN.

New Orleans beat the Giants 34-27 at home last week. Tyler Shough found Alvin Kamara for a 31-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and Kendre Miller led the team with 20 carries for 70 yards. The pass rush was the bigger story, with Chase Young and Carl Granderson leading a group that sacked the Giants five times. Shough and Rodgers enter with identical touchdown-to-interception totals (12 and five), per Louisiana Sports.

Shough is also playing hurt. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that he has been playing with two broken bones in his left, non-throwing hand, an injury that will take weeks to heal, and he is reportedly able to play in Paris.

The Injury Report

Official designations come later in the week, and the travel schedule compresses the reporting window. The table reflects the latest reported statuses.

DK Metcalf is off the injury report and caught 11 passes for 93 yards in Tampa. Freiermuth is the Pittsburgh name to watch. He was added to the Week 6 report late with a calf injury, and no Week 7 update had surfaced as of Wednesday. If he sits, Darnell Washington, who caught a touchdown at Tampa Bay, takes on more of the middle of the field.

For New Orleans, Kamara's status is the biggest question. He left the Giants game in the first half with an injury the team has not specified, then returned. Some reports tied it to a back problem that had bothered him for two weeks. Etienne is not eligible to return until after the Saints' Week 8 bye, so Miller and Kamara again share the backfield.

Fantasy Start/Sit Angles

DK Metcalf is a WR2 with WR1 weeks when Rodgers throws 40-plus times. With Pittman and Wilson out, Pittsburgh's target tree runs through Metcalf, Bernard and the tight ends.

Germie Bernard is a PPR WR3. He caught 11 of 12 targets for 87 yards in Tampa and has a 28 percent target share over two full-time games, per Fantasy Life. The depth of target is shallow, so his value depends on catches, not big plays.

Aaron Rodgers is a matchup-based QB2 who could push into QB1 range. The Saints' defense allows a 44.6 percent third-down conversion rate (27th in the league), and Rodgers' recent touchdown streak shows the red-zone efficiency is there. Jaylen Warren is the lead back (14-50 at Tampa), and Pittsburgh's 4.58 yards per carry is a strength in this matchup, but Rico Dowdle's return in Week 6 (7-40) cuts into the workload. Warren is an RB2.

On the Saints' side, Chris Olave is a WR1-type start with Tyson still on IR; his range of outcomes rivals almost anyone at the position while New Orleans throws this much. Devaughn Vele is a deep-league flex opposite Olave. Tyler Shough is a usable QB2 with volume upside, though the hand injury and Pittsburgh's pass rush add risk.

The Saints backfield is a split. Kendre Miller is a volume-based flex if Kamara is limited, and Kamara is an RB2/flex with receiving upside if he is fully healthy. Do not start both.

Verdexed Angle

A short spread on a neutral-site game is mostly a statement about quarterbacks and health. Pittsburgh has the more reliable offense and the better defensive front, which is why it is favored, but the Steelers' third-down offense ranks 28th (32.9 percent), and that limits how far ahead the market can push them. A 44.5 total suggests a game decided by one or two drives.

Our read is that the pass rushes decide this. Pittsburgh's stable line faces a Saints group coming off five sacks, while Pittsburgh's defense just sacked Jalon Daniels five times. If Shough's hand limits him in the pocket, the Steelers' defense has the edge; if New Orleans protects him, Olave can win this matchup on his own.

The Paris logistics also matter. Early kickoffs overseas leave little room for late pivots, so fantasy managers should treat any player with an unclear status as a sit unless a clear update arrives by Saturday. Verdexed's game-by-game call lives at /nfl/predictions, and the full Week 7 board is at /blog/nfl-week-7-picks-2026.

What's Next

Watch the practice reports out of France for Freiermuth, Echols and Kamara. Inactives for a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff come out early Sunday morning, so set lineups Saturday night. Tyson's travel with the team could signal that his 21-day practice window opens soon, though New Orleans may hold him until after its Week 8 bye.

A win would move Pittsburgh to 5-2 and keep pace in the AFC North. For New Orleans, a third win before the bye, with Etienne and possibly Tyson returning after it, would keep the Saints within reach of the NFC South race.