Even in a three-point win, there’s plenty about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ performance to like. Count Chris Long as those impressed by their all-around performance Sunday in a 24-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
“I thought running the ball was a huge part of this thing,” Long said Monday on his Green Light podcast. “You thought Minnesota would come in to run the ball. It totally flipped. You thought Minnesota would have them in third and long and that [Pittsburgh] would struggle in third and long. But it actually flipped. And Minnesota struggled in third and long. Kenny Gainwell looked like a number one running back.”
The Steelers finished the game winning in the trenches. The offense rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Gainwell set career-highs with 99 rushing yards and two touchdowns. On the other end, the Vikings’ running game couldn’t get going. Starter Jordan Mason was held to 3.6-yards per carry and a “long” of just 9 yards while Pittsburgh made Minnesota one-dimensional.
On third down, the Vikings finished just 4-of-14. Carson Wentz couldn’t move the sticks when asked to throw.
In Arthur Smith’s second year with the Steelers, Long sees his offensive vision coming into place.
“If you’re Arthur Smith, you might look at this Steelers team and say, ‘Hey, I see some retro Titans potential for us,'” Long said. “Where we’ve got this big monstrous guy that we can get the ball on a slant and he can go the distance, right? We’ve had a run game, which we finally got yesterday.”
Metcalf has assumed the A.J. Brown role of the Steelers’ offense. The rocked up, physical receiver with top-end speed. Metcalf flashed that on his 80-yard touchdown in the first half, taking a skinny post to the house.
By halftime, Metcalf had 122 receiving yards. That’s more than any Steelers player had in an entire game all of last year. A quiet second half saw him finish with 126 for the day.
“I thought Pittsburgh did a great job rushing the passer and taking advantage of that,” Long said of the defense.
Facing a beat-up Vikings offensive line missing three starters, the Steelers’ front made plays like it’s expected to. QB Carson Wentz was hit 14 times, sacked six, and forced into an intentional grounding call that effectively ended any chance of a game-tying field goal attempt. Pittsburgh picked him off twice and the defense scooped and scored a fumble that was called back after RB Jordan Mason touched the ball while out of bounds.
Pittsburgh showed the type of team it wants to be. Physical on both fronts. Aaron Rodgers finding his playmakers. A defense that creates splash and wins late. If the Steelers can turn Sunday’s outing into something consistent, they’ll not only make the playoffs but keep hold of the AFC North lead and could win their first playoff game since 2016.
