The Pittsburgh Steelers played in Las Vegas this week, but based on attendance at the stadium, you wouldn’t be a fool to believe they were in Pittsburgh. Steelers fans took over the Raiders’ stadium, creating a comfortable environment for the team to play in. That led to a convincing 32-13 victory, and Mike Tomlin thanked fans for their efforts, making it a point to do so to open his postgame press conference.
“I think the first thing that needs to be said is, just really taken aback by the support that we got here from our fans, Steeler Nation,” Tomlin said after the game via the team’s YouTube channel. “Continually, they show up. I just thought it was awesome. The environment for a road venue was special. It was special to be a part of.”
It was insane to see how many Steelers fans were at the game, especially considering the distance between Pittsburgh and Las Vegas. The Steelers started slow once again, so it could’ve been easy for Raiders fans to keep them from gaining any momentum. That wasn’t the case, though, as Steelers fans did an amazing job.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Pittsburgh faithful comprise one of the most passionate fan bases in the NFL. They almost always travel well. This isn’t the first time they’ve dominated an opposing team’s field. It even already happened once this year. The Steelers’ first game was in Atlanta, but fans made it feel like a home game.
The Steelers needed that kind of performance too. It wasn’t pretty, but they took care of business. Those fans certainly were not disappointed. The team rewarded them with arguably its best game of the year. The defense made several splash plays, and the offense actually looked competent at times. Even special teams was amazing.
We’ll see if the fans hold this same energy over the next few weeks. The Steelers might need it. They’ve got back-to-back primetime games coming up before their bye week. If they can win both those games and go into the break sitting at 6-2, they should be feeling really good about themselves. The fans have been stellar once again this year, and it’s nice to see Tomlin tip his cap to them. Hopefully he gets to do it many more times this year.
