Paul Pogba and Paris welcome NFL to France, Cam Skattebo is out of the dog house and Jared Goff is an MVP contender - NFL Sunday Review

The league pitched up for its historic French bow amid a period of civil unrest across France, with violence and looting having prompted heightened security measures heading into the weekend along with the cancellation of fan activations designed to ramp up the pre-game flavour.

As much contributes to the strong belief that the NFL will return to Paris for another game next year, with the league not only eager to establish a permanent presence in these international markets but perhaps also utilise a calmer and more accurate window in which to fairly flaunt one of the most iconic cities on the planet.

Nevertheless, for all that might have been said about safety concerns, football proceeded as planned on Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New Orleans Saints 16-10 at the Stade de France, which added NFL to a brimming resume already including the World Cup final, Euros final and Rhianna, Rolling Stones and Coldplay concerts, to name just a few.

The gameday presentation itself was spectacular and everything Paris could have envisioned, controlled 'No pyro no party' exhibitions joining Pittsburgh's Terrible Towels and an injection of Mardis Gras-style entertainment in forging the NFL's desired 'mini-Super Bowl' feel in celebration of yet another first for football. It also came with a stunning rendition of the French national anthem, as well as a half-time show courtesy of Burna Boy.

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was on the field taking photographs pre-game, while France rugby union captain Antoine Dupont and nine-time world champion judoka Teddy Riner were both in attendance, the latter receiving one of the loudest roars of the afternoon.

Cam Jordan and Alvin Kamara leading the WHO DAT Saints chants with a raucous Stade de France crowd on strings was enough to raise the hairs on your arm, while the discovery that 'blitz' translates to 'charge surprise' in French - courtesy of a good friend from another media outlet - was enough to let me once again appreciate the magic of taking football across the world.

It had also been reinforced by the manner in which cries of 'WHO DAT' around tourist hot-spots would light up any given Saints fan's face, confusion and caution while following a map in an unknown land quickly turning into at-home comfort.

Both the Steelers and Saints fanbases travel well, and there was certainly a dominant American presence compared to locals inside the stadium. It would help create a typical US gameday atmosphere, which was perhaps needed given how the week had gone; what might not have helped was the stadium reportedly running out of food at concessions stands during the game.

For what it is worth, Aaron Rodgers might be right to double down on the value in teams arriving on the Monday of a game-week for international matchups. The Steelers quarterback lamented his side's Friday morning landing, underlining his desire to spend more time in the city. As far as introducing football and teams and the NFL's superstars to new markets around the world is concerned, he is right.

Paris features among a record nine international games being played in the 2026 season, becoming one of the NFL's newest host territories alongside Melbourne and Rio de Janeiro while preceding upcoming contests in Madrid, Munich and Mexico City. Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke this week of plans to play in Tokyo in either 2027 or 2028, and it feels increasingly likely the league will return to Dublin after the Steelers beat the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland last season.

The French will get another chance to showcase the beautiful best of Paris. The build-up may have been dampened, the rain may have soggied the mood and the game itself may not have produced fireworks, but there was no hiding from another special moment for the NFL.

The NFC South is WIDE open! Reigning division champions the Carolina Panthers had looked like the team to catch, as the only one over .500 coming into Sunday, where they had the opportunity to stretch further clear from the field with a home victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and with the Atlanta Falcons facing a tough assignment in welcoming the 6-0 San Francisco 49ers to town. The Saints at least held up their end of the bargain by dropping to 2-5 on the year with defeat to the Steelers in Paris, but the Falcons (3-4) inflicted the 49ers' first defeat of the season, while the Panthers (3-3) were handed a 43-13 hammering by the Bucs (2-5) at home - despite the returning Baker Mayfield posting only 64 passing yards! A year on from a three-way tiebreaker being necessary to separate Carolina from Atlanta and Tampa Bay on 8-9 records, does anyone actually want to take over this division?!

The NFC South is WIDE open! Reigning division champions the Carolina Panthers had looked like the team to catch, as the only one over .500 coming into Sunday, where they had the opportunity to stretch further clear from the field with a home victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and with the Atlanta Falcons facing a tough assignment in welcoming the 6-0 San Francisco 49ers to town.

The Saints at least held up their end of the bargain by dropping to 2-5 on the year with defeat to the Steelers in Paris, but the Falcons (3-4) inflicted the 49ers' first defeat of the season, while the Panthers (3-3) were handed a 43-13 hammering by the Bucs (2-5) at home - despite the returning Baker Mayfield posting only 64 passing yards!

A year on from a three-way tiebreaker being necessary to separate Carolina from Atlanta and Tampa Bay on 8-9 records, does anyone actually want to take over this division?!

Congrats to those of you fortunate enough to have picked up New York Jets rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr in fantasy football this week. Not that I'm bitter or anything! The 30th overall pick in this year's draft out of Indiana - the fifth wideout taken - proved that his 103-yard and one TD outing against the New England Patriots last week was no fluke as he backed it up with a 115-yarder, plus a score, in Sunday's clash with the Miami Dolphins. Both games ended in defeat for the Jets - Miami winning their first of the season - to suggest that this isn't quite yet the brave new era in New York that Jets fans dream of, but Cooper is at least placing himself at the heart of things for if and when it does finally arrive. To help accelerate that process, the 2-5 Jets may well be sellers before the November 10 trade deadline, to build themselves greater draft capital for the future. As such, the emergence of Cooper could signal the end of Garrett Wilson's tenure in NYC. He had only two receptions for 26 yards against the Dolphins, and there'd be no shortage of takers for his talent.

Congrats to those of you fortunate enough to have picked up New York Jets rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr in fantasy football this week. Not that I'm bitter or anything!

The 30th overall pick in this year's draft out of Indiana - the fifth wideout taken - proved that his 103-yard and one TD outing against the New England Patriots last week was no fluke as he backed it up with a 115-yarder, plus a score, in Sunday's clash with the Miami Dolphins.

Both games ended in defeat for the Jets - Miami winning their first of the season - to suggest that this isn't quite yet the brave new era in New York that Jets fans dream of, but Cooper is at least placing himself at the heart of things for if and when it does finally arrive.

To help accelerate that process, the 2-5 Jets may well be sellers before the November 10 trade deadline, to build themselves greater draft capital for the future. As such, the emergence of Cooper could signal the end of Garrett Wilson's tenure in NYC. He had only two receptions for 26 yards against the Dolphins, and there'd be no shortage of takers for his talent.

An Indianapolis fire-sale feels imminent, and the same failure to find a long-term solution at quarterback that recently saw general manager Chris Ballard fired is also going to cost Shane Steichen his job. Daniel Jones struggled once more as the Colts suffered a 16-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, who blitzed the former Giants quarterback on 85.2 per cent of his drop backs - the highest blitz rate by any defense since the Next Gen Stats era began in 2016. A third straight loss leaves the Colts 2-5 and the most likely candidates for an exodus as the trade deadline approaches on November 10. Star running back Jonathan Taylor, guard Quenton Nelson and veteran defensive lineman DeForest Buckner have all been linked to trades as another rebuild lurks.

An Indianapolis fire-sale feels imminent, and the same failure to find a long-term solution at quarterback that recently saw general manager Chris Ballard fired is also going to cost Shane Steichen his job. Daniel Jones struggled once more as the Colts suffered a 16-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, who blitzed the former Giants quarterback on 85.2 per cent of his drop backs - the highest blitz rate by any defense since the Next Gen Stats era began in 2016.

A third straight loss leaves the Colts 2-5 and the most likely candidates for an exodus as the trade deadline approaches on November 10. Star running back Jonathan Taylor, guard Quenton Nelson and veteran defensive lineman DeForest Buckner have all been linked to trades as another rebuild lurks.

The Las Vegas Raiders-Kirk Cousins vibes are over. It happens to the best of us in Sin City. You're with your friends on a hot streak at the blackjack table, the rest of the casino floor peering over like meerkats to investigate the clamour coming from your cohort as every card hits, contrary to expectations. But the fun has to end somewhere.

Sure, that isn't to say the Raiders and Cousins have played their hand, because there is no shame in losing to a Los Angeles Rams team battling to turn their season around, but four straight defeats for Klint Kubiak's side has undone their early momentum. It should also be noted those four losses have come to legitimate contenders in the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and now the Rams. Cousins also threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns at the weekend, so it isn't quite panic stations that might prompt a premature turn to Fernando Mendoza. But just a reminder of overreacting to early weeks of the season, when the Raiders were surprising us all.

Cam Skattebo: In fact, the whole Giants backfield can count themselves as winners, really, as Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy Jr joined Skattebo in finding the end zone in the overtime win over the Houston Texans. Heck, even benched QB Jameis Winston got in.

But Skattebo is no doubt the headline-grabber, a week on from having zero touches in the Giants' defeat to the New Orleans Saints after fumble troubles in their prior tie with the Washington Commanders. Seventeen carries, for 124 yards and a score in New York's downing of the much-hyped Texans defense means Skattebo is surely now out of coach John Harbaugh's dog house.

Jared Goff: I'm not sure football gives Jared Goff his flowers enough. The Lions quarterback should be in the MVP discussion right now, bolstering his case on Sunday as he went 22 of 32 for 303 yards and two touchdown passes to lead Detroit past the Packers, in doing so becoming the first quarterback in history to post at least 14 touchdown passes and no turnovers through his first six games of a season. He has now thrown for 1,788 yards and his 14 scores so far this season, completing 150 of his 223 pass attempts while having been yet to surrender an interception.

Houston Texans defense: The 2025 Texans defense ranked as the NFL's best in yards allowed - just 277.2 per game - and were second only to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in scoring, with a mere 17.4 conceded per game. They also had 29 takeaways on the year to rank third in the league.

This season, with much still expected of largely the same unit, they can be described as middling - at best - as they quite literally rank middle of the road for YPG allowed (329.0 15 th ) and PPG coughed up (23.8, 20 th ). A fifth defeat in seven to start the season, with their overtime loss against the New York Giants, now has them in big trouble to make the playoffs.

The Ravens: Jesse Minter's Ravens were dealt another blow in a tight AFC North race as their 35-13 defeat to the Bengals left them 4-3 at the bottom of the division. With Lamar Jackson out again, you might have expected a big day for Derrick Henry; instead the Ravens running back finished with just 17 carries for 45 yards after managing only four carries for 13 yards in the second half. His drop off in usage can be a bizarre theme at times, so too Baltimore's continued stutters despite the talent on their roster.

Player of the Weekend - Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Tee Higgins had zero catches in the first half of Cincinnati's 35-13 win over the Ravens, bottled up alongside receiving partner in crime Ja'Marr Chase. In the second half alone he made six catches for 148 yards and a touchdown to break Baltimore's resistance with yet another clinic in devastating route-running. At times he can be overlooked in favour of Chase, but make no mistake of his value to Joe Burrow and Cincinnati's Super Bowl chances. He now leads the team with 27 catches for 423 yards and a score.

Here is a nod to J.J. McCarthy and a standout performance in his first start at quarterback for the Giants, who he guided to a surprise 27-21 overtime win against the Texans after taking the reins from Jameis Winston during the week. McCarthy finished 20 of 28 for 252 yards including a stunning deep-shot to Malik Nabers with pressure in his face to reward Harbaugh's faith in the former Vikings play-caller. The win lifts the Giants to 4-2-1 at the top of the NFC East as they continued their playoff quest. McCarthy's big day came a week after he impressed enough with a fourth-quarter cameo against the Saints to dislodge Winston; having arrived via a trade from Minnesota in light of Jaxson Dart's injury, he now has a career to resurrect his NFL career - perhaps even start it.

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