New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers: Who owns the series lead?

France will host it's first ever NFL game when the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers clash in Paris. The matchup will take place on Sunday, October 25 during Week 7 of the schedule. Although obviously far away from the Superdome, this will be a designated home game for the Saints. It will also be the 18th all-time meeting between the Saints and Steelers and the second of their four meetings against AFC North opponents.

Pittsburgh is a team in transition. Yes, Aaron Rodgers is not surprisingly back at quarterback, but Mike Tomlin is out after 19 seasons and 13 playoff appearances as head coach. The Steelers, who won their division with a 10-7 record last year, now have local product Mike McCarthy in charge. The Saints have heightened expectations despite a 6-11 finish under Kellen Moore in 2025, but won four of their final five to end their season. Here's a look through the history between these franchises.

Saints vs. Steelers series history

• Overall: 9-8
• Home: 6-4
• Away: 3-4
• Last 5: 3-2
• Last meeting (2022): Steelers (20-10)
• Last meeting in New Orleans (2018): Saints (31-28)
• Longest winning streak: 3 by each team (Saints 2010-18 and 1968-69; Steelers 1974-81)

During 1968, the second season of existence for the Saints, these teams were actually division opponents. New Orleans played in the NFL Century division for only that season. The Saints finished third in the four-team division with a 4-9-1 record, with the Steelers finishing fourth at a 2-11-1 mark. That season, the Saints took a 16-12 victory in Pittsburgh and defeated the Steelers in Tulane Stadium during the season finale by a 24-14 score. It was the last game as Steelers head coach for Bill Austin, as Pittsburgh replaced him with the legendary Chuck Noll the following year. The Saints would beat Noll and the Steelers again in the 1969 season finale by a 27-24 margin in Tulane Stadium. At that year's conclusion, the AFL-NFL merger took place and the Saints were moved into the NFC West while the Steelers were placed in the AFC Central. It would be five years before the team's met up again.

After the merger, the Steelers became a dynasty through the 1970s. They defeated New Orleans in all three of their meetings in 1974, 1978, and 1981. New Orleans finally snapped the steak in 1984 with a 27-24 defeat of the Steelers in the Superdome. In 1987, the Saints traveled to Pittsburgh for a late-season matchup. New Orleans would come away with a 20-16 victory, clinching their first ever winning season in franchise history.

Since 2002, games between the Saints and Steelers have often been close and high scoring battles. Four of their six matchups in that span have been decided by a touchdown or less, with three of those just three points being the difference. The other two were identical 20-10 scores with each squad winning in their own stadium.

Prior to this year's meeting on October 25, the Saints and Steelers have met six times in the month of October. The series is tied 3-3 in October meetings, with the Saints going 2-2 at home against Pittsburgh that month. Remember that even though this is considered a home game for New Orleans, it will take place at a neutral site. The Steelers have played two overseas games in their history, a 34-27 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London during the 2013 season and a 24-21 win over the Vikings in Ireland last year. New Orleans has played overseas three times, all in London. The Saints beat the San Diego Chargers 37-32 in 2008, defeated the Miami Dolphins by a 20-0 score in 2017, and in 2022 lost 28-25 to the Vikings.

Steelers coach Mike McCarthy was an offensive coordinator for five years with the Saints from 2000 through 2004. While head coach for the Dallas Cowboys from 2020-2024, McCarthy had Kellen Moore as his offensive coordinator for three of those years through the end of 2022. Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier was also on that Cowboys staff. Moore and Nussmeier were both relieved of their duties by McCarthy and the Cowboys at the end of the 2022 season. Legendary Saints offensive lineman and former Saints assistant coach Jahri Evans was added to McCarthy's coaching staff in Pittsburgh this offseason.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh Steelers: Who owns the series lead?