The Pittsburgh Steelers fans travel as well as any in the league. They also have a strong local presence basically anywhere you go in the country. Given the record turnout at training camp this year, it should be no surprise that Steelers fans are taking over MetLife Stadium in New York for their Week 1 matchup against the Jets.
“Judging from the drive in, the parking lots were filled and I saw at least as many Steeler jerseys as I did any type of Jets jerseys,” Gerry Dulac said via 102.5 DVE’s Steelers pre-game show.
The team highlighted some fans outside the stadium at 10:39 AM, almost three hours before kickoff. That’s even more impressive considering it was raining at that point of the morning.
This takeover was expected with Vivid Seats forecasting 48 percent of MetLife to be filled with Steelers fans on Sunday, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
The data that Vivid Seats used likely doesn’t take into account how many Steelers fans live in local regions. Just because someone purchased a ticket from within New York or the surrounding areas doesn’t mean they are a Jets fan. The Steelers have fans all over the country. An estimate of 48 percent can easily turn into 60 percent or more.
Here is a shot of the stands starting to fill from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey on X.
There is nothing more demoralizing for a home team than having to go on a silent count on offense. Fans normally reserve their noise for when the home team is on defense, but the Steelers have been known to have that advantage while on the road several times in the past.
Justin Fields no doubt understands this and would have prepared himself for the possibility of a hostile environment at home.
This is excellent news for a defense that Mike Tomlin believes is capable of achieving historic things this season.
