The Pittsburgh Steelers played in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Ireland on Sunday, facing the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin. The Steelers came out victorious with a 24-21 win, advancing to 3-1 on the year. Minnesota now falls to 2-2.
The Steelers got the ball first and did nothing with it. Aaron Rodgers was sacked on the first play, and Pittsburgh quickly went three-and-out afterwards. Led by Carson Wentz, who was filling in for J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings’ offense quickly moved down the field and got into the red zone. Things would eventually stall, but Will Reichard connected on a 41-yarder to give Minnesota an early 3-0 lead.
Pittsburgh’s second drive was much better. That drive consisted of several connections from Aaron Rodgers to DK Metcalf for gains of 14, 17, and 11 yards to help work the Steelers into the red zone. Kenneth Gainwell eventually punched it in from a yard out, and the extra point gave Pittsburgh a 7-3 lead.
Like the offense, Pittsburgh’s defense looked better once it hit the field for the second time. They allowed a couple of first downs, but Nick Herbig ended that momentum, coming up with a sack on third down to force a punt. Getting the ball back, the Steelers wasted absolutely no time taking advantage. On the first play, Metcalf took a slant route 80 yards for a touchdown. Chris Boswell’s extra point gave the Steelers a 14-3 lead.
Pittsburgh then worked its way into field goal range after forcing a punt, but it couldn’t capitalize. Boswell attempted a 30-yard field goal, but it ended up being blocked by Isaiah Rodgers. Minnesota would take advantage of that chance and ended up working their way into a field goal of their own. A 29-yard completion from Carson Wentz to Justin Jefferson put them in range, and Reichard converted on a 28-yard attempt to cut the Steelers’ lead to 14-6. Pittsburgh kneelt the ball to head into halftime.
The second half got off to an unceremonious start. Each team struggled to move the ball on its first possession, and both had to punt. Getting the ball back, Minnesota made a little progress. Wentz found Jordan Mason for a 13-yard gain, and he also scrambled around the left end for 13 yards on third down. However, shortly after, T.J. Watt came up with a massive play. On 3rd-and-16, he tipped Wentz’s pass and intercepted it, giving the Steelers the ball and some excellent field position to work with.
It didn’t take the Steelers long to take advantage of that turnover. Kenneth Gainwell really owned the Steelers’ next drive. He ran for gains of seven, six, 10, and four, with the final being the Steelers’ third touchdown of the day, helping extend their lead to 21-6.
After a three-and-out from Minnesota, Pittsburgh went on another long drive and ate plenty of clock in the process. Kaleb Johnson made an impact, with gains of nine and six. That drive would eventually stall, but luckily for Pittsburgh, it did so in field goal range. Chris Boswell trotted on to kick a 33-yard field goal, making it a 24-6 ballgame.
Despite the Steelers playing in Dublin, Renegade flashed across Croke Park’s speakers anyway. Pittsburgh’s defense responded by giving up a touchdown drive. Wentz completed passes of 18 and 12 yards to get into the red zone, where he then found Zavier Scott from 16 yards out for a score. Minnesota went for two points, and Wentz found Josh Naylor to convert. This cut the Steelers’ lead to 24-14.
After the Vikings trimmed the lead, the Steelers came out with some fire offensively. They were helped by a 15-yard penalty on Dallas Turner, but two separate 15-yard runs from Kenneth Gainwell had them in business. They wound up in a fourth-and-goal a couple of yards out of the end zone. Gainwell ran the ball, but he ended up being short.
Despite being down two scores, Minnesota never gave up. A broken coverage led to a massive gain for Jordan Addison, picking up 81 yards and putting the Vikings at the goal line. It took a couple of plays, but Wentz eventually found Nailor from two yards out for a touchdown. The extra point cut the lead to 24-21.
With just over two minutes left and only one timeout, Minnesota had no choice but to try an onside kick. That would roll right into Roman Wilson’s hands, giving the Steelers possession. The Steelers ran the ball a couple of times (with a block from their 41-year-old quarterback). On 3rd-and-1, Minnesota came up with a stop. The Steelers tried to draw Minnesota offsides before punting the ball away.
After the punt went through the end zone, the Vikings got the ball with just over a minute left, trailing by three. James Pierre intercepted Wentz’s first throw, but he couldn’t get both feet in before controlling the ball. Pittsburgh granted the Vikings some yards, as Patrick Queen was called for holding and T.J. Watt jumped offsides on the next play. However, the Steelers were able to bounce back. Wentz tried to throw the ball away on the next drive, but was called for intentional grounding.
Minnesota eventually faced a 4th-and-13 at its own 37-yard line with 14 seconds left. Wentz was called for a delay of game penalty, pushing them back an extra five yards. Wentz would then miss Addison down the middle, and the Steelers were able to secure a 24-21 win.
The Steelers are now 3-1, and head into an early Week 5 bye. They’ll face the Cleveland Browns two Sundays from now.
