If you didn’t know the zip code, you would’ve guessed the Pittsburgh Steelers were playing in Acrisure Stadium’s friendly confines on Sunday. But they made the trip to Las Vegas, and per usual, Steeler Nation took over Allegiant Stadium. Terrible Towels waving, “defense” chanting, and a lot of happy faces when the clock hit zeroes that are uncommon when the home team loses by 19.
After the game, multiple Steelers players said the home-crowd feel inside the stadium played a serious role in the win.
“I’m looking at the Raiders’ offense, they’re going on silent cadence,” QB Justin Fields said via the team’s website. “I’m not surprised. Big shout of Steelers Nation for showing up big for us and coming to support us.”
Exact estimates of the Raiders-Steelers split are hard to say for sure. But reporters and fans who attended put it well above 50 percent black and gold instead of silver and black. The broadcast visually and audibly made it clear how well Pittsburgh was represented, the above photo all any fan would need to know.
As Fields said, the opposing offense worked on a silent count, something normally reserved for road games when opposing venues make hearing the cadence difficult. It’s an advantage to the defense, the offense a step slow as they’re forced to key the ball, not the defense, leading to the o-line being slower off the ball. And the defense can just watch the ball and fire off the snap.
It’s the second time this season a “home” team has had to go silent. The Atlanta Falcons felt Steeler Nation’s impact in the season opener, leading to a miscommunication and fumble on a jet motion that T.J. Watt recovered.
Also speaking post-game, Watt echoed Fields’ thoughts about the friendly crowd.
“We knew that was gonna be the case, but appreciate it,” Watt said also via Steelers.com. “Steelers fans are incredible. Steelers Nation is smart when it comes to when they get loud. They were awesome today.”
Before and after the game, head coach Mike Tomlin showed his admiration and respect for the fans. While the broadcast said they travelled well, the reality is many of them probably lived nearby and took advantage of the chance to watch the Steelers play without needing a plane ticket. Steeler Nation is nation and world-wide, making the team a popular draw no matter the stadium.
From a venue viewpoint, the Steelers received an unfavorable start to their season. They played their first two games on the road, three of their first five, and four of their first six. But they went 3-1 in those contests and are off to a strong 4-2 start to the year. They’ll get to avoid peanuts and aisle seats the next three weeks with back-to-back home primetime games followed by a Week 9 bye. They’ll have Steeler Nation by their side even more.
