PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints battled in an historic international contest, giving the Paris, France, crowd their first taste of NFL action.

The Steelers, for the second year in a row, were part of the NFL's inaugural contest in another country. As the league expands its global footprint, the Steelers have been right at the forefront.

Unlike the Steelers' win over the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland, in 2025, this year's international game is likely to be overshadowed by the officiating crew's performance.

Once again, the referees controlled another contest for the wrong reasons. Both teams were frustrated with the officiating crew, and a deeper dive reveals they were justified.

It was a day to forget for the officials, who should receive a failing grade for their performance in the latest Steelers' win.

Today’s Steelers-Saints game marks the first time Bill Vinovich has officiated a Saints game since the infamous no-call in the NFC Championship Game more than 7 years ago.

The Saints are playing in Paris. pic.twitter.com/vHoQOz8Fp9

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 25, 2026

The DK Non-Call: D-

Things didn't get off on the right foot between the Steelers and the officials, right from the first offensive series.

Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers tried to connect with wide receiver DK Metcalf on a fade route toward the end zone. Metcalf and the Saints cornerback engaged in hand-fighting and physicality as the route developed, but what most saw was the defensive back's free hand tugging on Metcalf's chest plate.

Now, Metcalf was still able to get both hands up in an attempt to get the ball, and the officials can point to that after the fact.

Despite this, being in a one-on-one matchup and having a free hand on the receiver's equipment as he goes up for the ball usually draws a flag automatically.

This time it didn't, incensing Rodgers and effectively putting a target on their back for the remainder of the contest.

For that, the refs received a D-, and they should feel thankful they avoided an outright fail.

McCormick's Personal Foul: A+

Did I love watching left guard Mason McCormick leaping on top of the pile as rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard picked up 20 yards late in the first half?

Of course I did.

Did the officials make the right call, flagging the guard for joining the pile too late?

Of course they did.

Once upon a time, this was a common practice in the NFL, but it's one of the plays the league wants completely eliminated due to injury risk. Sadly for McCormick, this was an A+ call and the right one.

Brandon Smith and Payton Wilson's "Unnecessary" Roughness: F-

Two of the most egregious calls against the Steelers were unnecessary roughness calls levied against wide receiver Brandon Smith and linebacker Payton Wilson.

Let's start with Smith, who was blocking a Saints defensive back in the first half. As the play ended, the two continued jawing at one another. The Saints defender pushed Smith back, and in response, the Steelers receiver pushed his facemask into his opponent's.

What made the call feel so off was that the action hardly felt like an escalation. More likely, it was the reaction that the officials caught. Either way, it was not worthy of throwing the flag.

They could have redeemed themselves in the second half, but instead they made another pair of awful calls against both teams. During the first series, they called rookie Saints guard Jeremiah Wright for a personal foul.

Here's the thing: he didn't do anything unnecessary. He was battling Keeanu Benton one-on-one, and he finished the block all the way to the ground. It's how he's been taught to play his entire life, but suddenly it was a penalty.

On the very next play, the Steelers were on the receiving end of a blunderous call. Linebacker Payton Wilson tracked down Saints running back Alvin Kamara and forced him out of bounds.

Wilson began the tackle along the sidelines, and the two fell into the Steelers' bench, but Wilson was called for a personal foul.

All three of these calls were terrible. Not one met the criteria for a personal foul, and each was a normal, routine football play. That's an undeniable failure for the crew on those calls.

General Game Mismanagement: C-

As the third quarter wound down, there was a hiccup in the flow of the game. The Steelers' offensive drive was halted after Saints edge rusher Chase Young sacked Rodgers.

That forced the field-goal unit out for a 39-yard attempt, but it took several minutes before kicker Chris Boswell could knock his third field goal of the day through the uprights.

The reason for the delay was that the officials and the scoreboard operations team were struggling to get on the same page.

Head official Bill Vinovich had to stop the play on separate occasions before the snap, so he could correct the game and the play clock.