Despite Local Unrest ~ Steelers/Saints Plan to Play in Paris
NFL reiterates plan to play Steelers-Saints in Paris, despite local unrest
Ongoing social unrest in Paris has raised questions regarding the Steelers-Saints game due to be played there in 11 days.
On Wednesday, the league issued a statement indicating that it’s full steam ahead in the land of berets and really long, skinny loaves of bread.
“We’re excited for the first-ever regular season game in Paris, and preparations continue as scheduled for NFL events and the game at Stade de France on October 25,” the NFL said in a statement, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “As we do for every NFL game, including our international games, we work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters. We look forward to welcoming fans to Paris later this month.”
Whether they “look forward” to it and whether it will actually happen are two different things. And if the NFL ultimately concludes that the staging of the game will present safety issues for anyone involved, the NFL surely will reconsider its plans.
The most obvious alternative would be to play the game in New Orleans. When the NFL decided in 2018 that the field in Mexico City was unsuitable for play, the Chiefs-Rams game was moved to L.A.
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The NFL closed its "NFL House" in Paris on Saturday as the city braced for street protests with a heavy police presence and storefronts boarded up.https://t.co/01qD6CQOBG
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 24, 2026
NFL House in Paris closes ahead of street protests in French capital
PARIS -- The NFL closed its "NFL House" in Paris on Saturday as the city braced for street protests with a heavy police presence and storefronts boarded up.
The league announced the closure to fans Saturday morning through its "OnePass" app, and it came a day after closing its pop-up NFL shop. In both cases, it cited "potential accessibility issues."
Security concerns have overshadowed the NFL's debut in Paris. The New Orleans Saints will play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Stade de France in the league's first regular-season game in the country.
Also Saturday, the Saints announced that "Saints House has been postponed until Sunday."
Events planned Saturday at NFL House included "French Athletes in Football" and "From the Field to the Community."
Major museums, including the Louvre and Orsay Museum, are closed Saturday, though tourists were lined up to enter Notre Dame Cathedral. French authorities are intent on preventing a repeat of recent violent unrest.
The U.S. State Department this week issued a security alert that cautioned "Americans in Paris for the NFL game" to "exercise caution and be aware of their surroundings" because of protests.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said this week that preparations were made in consultation with U.S. and French authorities. Street protests, he said, "are not unusual in France."
On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron met with Goodell along with Saints owner Gayle Benson and Steelers owners Art Rooney II at the Élysée Palace to "discuss Sunday's game and the long-term future of the NFL in Paris."
The NFL said Friday that its pop-up shop in the city center would be closed Saturday but that fans could use an alternative shop set up at Stade de France, located north of the city in Saint-Denis.
A weekend event for Steelers fans was canceled Thursday because of security concerns.
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Apparently the money crazy league that doesnt care about player safety, shows no concern for fan safety either. What a pathetic crop of losers.
If local police are asking other events to postpone, what's the likelihood that they didnt approach the nfl to do the same?
Why isn't Chuck Foreman in the Hall of Fame?
JimmyinSD wrote:
Apparently the money crazy league that doesnt care about player safety, shows no concern for fan safety either. What a pathetic crop of losers.
If local police are asking other events to postpone, what's the likelihood that they didnt approach the nfl to do the same?
This doesn't just look like a stupid decision, it looks like something that could have the kind of tragic result(s) guaranteed to be a brutal lesson for generations.
"AVAILABLE: DUMBASS GM. MAY TRADE WRONG QB. WILL TRADE FOR 1/2 PACK OF FUDGE STRIPE COOKIES. 'QB WHISPERER POTENTIALLY' THROWN IN FOR FULL PACK"
Zanary wrote:
This doesn't just look like a stupid decision, it looks like something that could have the kind of tragic result(s) guaranteed to be a brutal lesson for generations.
Yeah, they needed to move this to London a couple weeks ago.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
After another day of Paris protests, NFL is on track to stage Steelers-Saints at Stade de France
It’s too late to turn back now.
With kickoff to Sunday’s game between the Steelers and Saints in Paris less than 13 hours away, as of this posting, the plan continues to be full speed ahead for Steelers-Saints at Stade de France. Even if the league is potentially going to be stepping into a steaming pile of merde.
Via Mark Maske of Front Office Sports, the game remains set for a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff after another day of local protests in Paris. More than 400,000 participated in the demonstrations, which resulted in more than 1,000 arrests. Per the Associated Press, a march that started peacefully ended with protesters throwing fireworks and other objects at police. They responded with tear gas, sound grenades, and water cannons.
The question remains whether protestors will target the NFL game, in an effort to send a clear international message. No matter how secure the stadium may be, the path to the venue’s security perimeter may not be.
Hopefully, there will be no incidents. It’s still a calculated risk for the NFL, one that many would regard as unnecessary.
For the NFL, the necessity to play flows from the ongoing obsession to export the game to other countries. If something occurs, it will be impossible for the league to shrug and to say, “We didn’t know that could happen.” And it will throw a wrench into the plan to globalize the game.
Even without any specific problems on Sunday, the situation underscores the realities of potentially putting teams in other countries, with other governments and other citizenries that could eventually complicate the effort to play all games as scheduled.
For now, the league doesn’t care. It only sees one thing — the possibility of transforming a billion-dollar business into a trillion-dollar behemoth if fans in other countries become as passionate about pro football as Americans are.
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Cricket wrote:
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/after-another-day-of-paris-protests-nfl-is-on-track-to-stage-steelers-saints-at-stade-de-france
After another day of Paris protests, NFL is on track to stage Steelers-Saints at Stade de FranceIt’s too late to turn back now.
With kickoff to Sunday’s game between the Steelers and Saints in Paris less than 13 hours away, as of this posting, the plan continues to be full speed ahead for Steelers-Saints at Stade de France. Even if the league is potentially going to be stepping into a steaming pile of merde.
Via Mark Maske of Front Office Sports, the game remains set for a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff after another day of local protests in Paris. More than 400,000 participated in the demonstrations, which resulted in more than 1,000 arrests. Per the Associated Press, a march that started peacefully ended with protesters throwing fireworks and other objects at police. They responded with tear gas, sound grenades, and water cannons.
The question remains whether protestors will target the NFL game, in an effort to send a clear international message. No matter how secure the stadium may be, the path to the venue’s security perimeter may not be.
Hopefully, there will be no incidents. It’s still a calculated risk for the NFL, one that many would regard as unnecessary.
For the NFL, the necessity to play flows from the ongoing obsession to export the game to other countries. If something occurs, it will be impossible for the league to shrug and to say, “We didn’t know that could happen.” And it will throw a wrench into the plan to globalize the game.
Even without any specific problems on Sunday, the situation underscores the realities of potentially putting teams in other countries, with other governments and other citizenries that could eventually complicate the effort to play all games as scheduled.
For now, the league doesn’t care. It only sees one thing — the possibility of transforming a billion-dollar business into a trillion-dollar behemoth if fans in other countries become as passionate about pro football as Americans are.
Zanary wrote:
This doesn't just look like a stupid decision, it looks like something that could have the kind of tragic result(s) guaranteed to be a brutal lesson for generations.
Canthony wrote:
Absolutely. No reason for any of this.
Yep, it's all about that mighty dollar. To hell with player & fan safety! 😣
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As mentioned, this is not only unsafe for players and fans, it is culturally and politically insensitive IMO...This has "Nero fiddled while Rome burns" all over it
I feel super bad that the league didn’t step in. I get the money aspect, but this is about our people and players. Idk. I have a heart and it’s sad.
The Tailgate has started for the Steelers Vs. Saints game in Paris. pic.twitter.com/SSDXFee2iZ
— Football Crave (@FootballCravee) October 24, 2026
Don't trade JJ.
ALL WEEK! But let certain media and bad actors tell it and Paris is on fire and having a game this week is the worst thing in the world.
— Jono Barnes (@JonoBarnes) October 24, 2026
1am Paris. Drunk in a bar singing karaoke with French locals. What they’re not talking about? Riots. I tweeted that I didn’t see it today, and some folks lost their minds.
— Kevin Adams (@KevinAdams26) October 24, 2026
Wanna be offended. You can. Wanna live in fear/mad? You can.
Respect your stance but personally, not me.
NFL already planning to return to Paris: https://t.co/CSHSUeLMz0
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 25, 2026
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Jaylen Warren and the Steelers run over the Saints in Paris
Steelers running back Jaylen Warren has been the focal point of the offense this season, and it was no different today against the Saints in Paris.
Warren made big plays both running the ball and catching passes out of the backfield as the Steelers won 16-10.
On a day when both quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers and Tyler Shough, were find but not spectacular, the difference was the running game: Warren and Rico Dowdle consistently picked up yardage against the Saints’ defense, while Saints running backs Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller could do nothing against the Steelers’ defense.
Warren finished with 18 carries for 101 yards and three catches for 36 yards. Dowdle added nine carries for 41 yards and six catches for 45 yards.
Kamara had six carries for five yards and Miller had eight carries for six yards against a Steelers front that was dominant all game. Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen had a big day.
Rodgers also made his presence felt running the ball, with an eight-yard run on third-and-6 just before the two-minute warning to keep the Steelers’ game-clinching drive alive.
In addition to losing the game, the Saints lost safety Justin Reid left the game with a concussion, and running back CJ Donaldson left the game with a shoulder injury.
Saints wide receiver Barion Brown had a big day in a losing effort, leading the team with 57 receiving yards and also having a 42-yard kickoff return and 20-yard punt return.
The win improves the Steelers’ record to 5-2 and they’re in the thick of the race in the very competitive AFC North. The Saints fall to 2-5, and they’re not out of it in the NFC
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