More weird, more wacky, more heart-attacks. Let’s talk about it.
– There have now been 12 NFL games that ended 36-28, Thursday night’s score. Three of them have occurred this season. Cowboys/Panthers in Week 4, Packers/Rams in Week 12, and Steelers/Vikings last night. Since 2000, a score of 36-28 had only happened once, a 2000 game between the Falcons and 49ers.
Of the 12 games that ended 36-28, the Steelers have been involved in four of them, 25%. Their last came in 1988, a loss to the Buffalo Bills.
– Vikings’ RB Dalvin Cook is the first RB to run for 200+ yards against the Steelers since the Eagles’ Jay Ajayi had 204 against the Steelers in 2016. Cook is the first RB with 205+ yards since Fred Taylor in 2000, who holds the record with 234 yards against Pittsburgh.
Since 1950, Cook is just the sixth RB to hit the 200-yard mark against the Steelers. The others: Ajayi, Taylor, Joe Morris, OJ Simpson, and John David Crow. Cook’s 205 yards are the third most, only behind Taylor (234) and Simpson (227).
– From 2001 to 2019, the Steelers didn’t have one game in which they allowed 240+ total yards rushing. They’ve now done it once each of the last two seasons, 2020 against the Ravens and 2021 against the Vikings. Pittsburgh hasn’t allowed that in back-to-back years since 1965-1966.
– Minnesota had more rushing first downs (13) than Pittsburgh had passing first downs (11).
– Pittsburgh has been outscored 78-16 in the first half of their last four games.
– Ben Roethlisberger was sacked five times Thursday, the most he’s been dropped in a game in seven years, a 2014 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
– Chris Boswell had his first field goal (not extra point) miss since Week 3, snapping a streak of 20-straight made kicks.
– This was Ahkello Witherspoon’s first two-interception game of his career, college or pro. Who would’ve guessed it.
– Kind of a funny stat. Not a surprising one given the landscape of today’s NFL. But the number of games with 300+ passing yards, 3+ TDs in Steelers’ history.
1. Ben Roethlisberger – 32
2. Bubby Brister – 2
2. Jim Finks – 2
2. Neil O’Donnell – 2
Other Steelers’ QBs not named Roethlisberger have a combined 11 such performances. So Roethlisberger has nearly triple the amount.
Roethlisberger needs one more performance to tie Dan Marino for 5th most in NFL history.
– Pittsburgh is 9/25 on third down (36%) the last two weeks.
– Najee Harris needs just three receptions to set the franchise record for most catches by a rookie. He has 60 on the year.
– Pat Freiermuth has tied the Steelers’ record for touchdowns by a rookie tight end, matching Eric Green’s mark set in 1990. He now has seven. If only he could’ve had eight….
