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The New Orleans Saints traveled across the Atlantic Ocean hoping to build momentum heading into their bye week and salvage their season. Instead, they returned home with its fourth loss in five games and it just seems like another repeating nightmare for Who Dat Nation.

New Orleans fell 16-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Stade de France in Paris, dropping to 2-5 through seven games under second-year coach Kellen Moore. It was the NFL's first regular-season game in France.

Despite another efficient passing performance from quarterback Tyler Shough, the Saints struggled to establish their rushing attack, failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities and couldn't get off the field defensively when it mattered most.

The loss marked New Orleans' third one-possession defeat this season, reinforcing concerns about the team's ability to execute in critical situations.

Here are three takeaways from another disappointing performance from the Saints performance.

The Saints' rushing attack has become a major liability

For all the attention surrounding Shough's development, New Orleans' inability to run the football continues to undermine its offense.

Sunday's performance might have been its most concerning yet.

The Saints finished with just 18 rushing yards on 17 attempts, averaging a dismal 1.1 yards per carry.

Even more alarming, Shough led the team with 7 rushing yards on three attempts. However, he is a quarterback and that is not his job.

But for Alvin Kamara (six carries for five yards) and Kendre Miller (eight carries for six yards) to have more carries than rushing yards is disgusting.

It shows the lack of life in a running back room without a primary option, compounded by an offensive line struggling to create leverage.

That level of production is unacceptable for any offense regardless of the level of play, especially one relying on a young quarterback to consistently move the ball.

Pittsburgh's defense shut down the run, forcing Shough to carry nearly the entire offensive load.

Although Shough completed nearly 79% of his passes, New Orleans could not consistently finish drives because it lacked balance.

The problems extend beyond one disappointing performance.

New Orleans has struggled to generate consistent production on the ground throughout the season, making the offense increasingly predictable against physical defensive fronts.

Tyler Shough has to be perfect moving forward and that's unfair

Because of the rushing problems, the Saints had to rely on Shough again.

Shough did everything you could ask of him, completing 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown. However, one costly mistake ultimately changed the game's complexion.

Trailing 13-10 at the start of the second half, New Orleans put together a 13-play drive that moved the offense inside Pittsburgh's 10-yard line as the Saints appeared positioned to take their first lead of the afternoon.

Instead, Shough threw a pass intended for Chris Olave, which Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson intercepted at the Pittsburgh 11-yard line.

The turnover erased a scoring opportunity and let Pittsburgh respond with a field goal, extending its lead to 16-10.

The interception proved costly, but it also highlighted the impossible position Shough has found himself in because of New Orleans' offensive struggles.

Despite completing nearly 79% of his passes, the quarterback could not afford even one mistake because the Saints had virtually no rushing attack to complement him.

That is an unrealistic expectation for any quarterback, much less one still developing at the NFL level.

Shough showed he could move the football against a Pittsburgh defense, distributing the ball effectively and keeping New Orleans competitive despite a one-dimensional offensive approach.

However, his play reinforced a troubling reality: when Shough plays well, the Saints can win; when he makes one mistake, the operation unravels.

That is unsustainable.

Until Moore builds a credible run game and finishes drives, Shough bears an unreasonable load and New Orleans must create an offense where its quarterback does not need to be perfect to win.

Unless the Saints give Shough a credible rushing attack and adequate protection, they risk repeating a familiar chapter in franchise history: asking a talented young quarterback to overcome problems far beyond his control, much like Archie Manning decades ago.

Daniel Carlson's missed field goal exposed another troubling special teams issue

Daniel Carlson's fourth missed field goal in 11 attempts this season — a 52-yarder in the fourth quarter — kept New Orleans trailing in a 16-10 loss to Pittsburgh, highlighting a critical special teams weakness for the 2-5 Saints.

The missed 52-yard attempt came while the Saints trailed 16-10 in the fourth quarter, keeping Pittsburgh's lead at six points. Carlson's 63.6% success rate contrasts with Steelers kicker Chris Boswell, who converted all three attempts (28, 47 and 39 yards) for nine points.

The fourth-quarter miss was especially costly as New Orleans had already squandered a promising red-zone drive earlier in the second half. Instead of entering the final minutes needing only a field goal to tie or lead, the Saints remained six points behind.

Carlson's kicking struggles add to head coach Kellen Moore's bye-week concerns. For a team hampered by offensive inefficiency, defensive lapses and turnovers, unreliable special teams further shrink a narrow margin for error.

With three one-score losses this season, New Orleans cannot afford missed points. Sunday's loss highlights that the Saints lack the margin for error to overcome recurring scoring mistakes in tight games.

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