Is Paris the right place for an NFL game this week? With protests continuing across France since late September, the Steelers have been fielding that question since the Saints matchup was set for Week 7. However, security wasn’t what came up first when Breiden Fehoko reached out to several players. Their replies were about the flight, the fatigue, and whether the travel plan made sense.
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“I’ve reached out to a couple Steelers players one by one, called them individually, texted each guy, and asked the same question,” Fehoko, who was with the Steelers briefly during his career, said on The Breiden Fehoko Show. “ Hey, what are your thoughts on the travel? How was the plane ride? All the questions needed to go into this show.
“A common theme I got was, don’t know if I can agree with it. Another theme was that the plane ride sucked. Another theme was wish we would have come a little earlier. Kind of tired. Okay, so these are the answers I’m getting from Pittsburgh Steelers players on their trip to Paris, France.”
The Steelers touched down in Paris early Friday morning, two days before their first ever NFL game in France against the Saints. The Saints arrived on Monday, giving them extra time to adjust to the new time zone.
Pittsburgh stuck to its usual European routine. Since the 2013 loss to the Vikings in London, the Steelers have flown out on Friday before a Sunday game on all three European trips, including last season’s win over Minnesota in Dublin, according to CBS News.
Aaron Rodgers seemed a little bothered by that schedule when asked about it this week.
“I’ve played in three countries now,” Rodgers said. “In each of them, we’ve left on Thursday early evening. It would have been nice one time to come over on a Monday.”
He also saw the upside of arriving earlier.
“I think getting acclimated has its advantages. Obviously, there’s ‘science’ behind coming in later in the week.”
While the Saints will be well-rested before the game, the Steelers reached the French Capital with only 48 hours in hand. Fehoko also said on X that their flight was nine hours long, and they were asked to stay up all day. The Steelers instead began prep at home itself, modifying practice times.
Per The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo, the Steelers were also scheduled for a “mock game” practice after their plane landed on Friday. However, it was called off due to bad weather.
DeFabo also relayed from tight end Pat Friermouth that his caffeine intake was going to be higher than normal (said in jest), and defensive lineman Cam Heyward was thinking about “doing just about anything.”
“It’s a grind to get there.”
Besides, there is precedent this season of the wrong travel plan possibly leading to a loss. The Los Angeles Rams also had a similar plan to the Steelers for their opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne. It was a grueling trip for the team, who came back home with a “humbling” 27-7 loss.
Moreover, the Steelers’ daring plan can very much go in vain. France continues to be gripped by violent protests, which has raised a clarion call for the game to be called off or held somewhere else. However, the NFL has no plans to do either, and are confident they will be able to host the game as planned.
On Friday, Rodgers said he trusts the NFL to make the right security calls for the game.
Aaron Rodgers confident in NFL’s Paris security amid unrest
Paris is bracing for a tense weekend. France plans to put about 70,000 police on the streets across the country on Saturday, hoping to avoid a repeat of last weekend, when some of the worst street violence in years broke out on the edges of cost of living protests.
Shortly after the team arrived in France, Rodgers said he trusts the league to handle security.
“I definitely think that the NFL is alert to what’s going on,” Rodgers said. “This game means a lot to the NFL. If it was unsafe, then I’m sure we wouldn’t be here.”
Officials are taking it seriously too. Late Thursday, the U.S. State Department warned that several groups had submitted plans to protest on Saturday. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday that preparations were in place, citing consultation with U.S. and French authorities. Security is also going to be amped up in the Stade de France, the venue of the matchup.
Not everyone is comfortable with the plan, though.
“I would have said the NFL could have probably postponed that match,” President Donald Trump said.
For now, the game is on, and the league is betting that Paris stays calm.