Facing backup quarterback Carson Wentz and an elite receiving room that got Jordan Addison back, the Pittsburgh Steelers knew it was paramount to turn up the pressure and attack the Vikings with a strong pass rush.
Mission accomplished on Sunday at Croke Park in Dublin.
The Steelers sacked Wentz six times and hit him 14 times in total. Names like Nick Herbig, Keeanu Benton, and Patrick Queen all had sacks. Others like T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, DeShon Elliott, and Payton Wilson generated timely pressures, helping Pittsburgh get off the field repeatedly on defense.
Head coach Mike Tomlin, who spoke to reporters Sunday after the 24-21 win over the Vikings, credited defensive coordinator Teryl Austin for adjusting to attack Minnesota’s protection plans, leading to the big day from the pass rush.
“I thought that we put together a good plan, and I thought they did a nice job of executing it. The Vikings got some challenging schematics. They work to minimize your four-man rush with max protections,” Tomlin said of the Steelers’ pass rush adjustments, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “I think the adjustments we made relative to the max protections was a major component why we were able to put pressure on them. And so kudos to TA [Teryl Austin] and company, but also kudos to the men.
“We had a bunch of guys that played hard and made a bunch of plays today, and we needed them.”
The Steelers certainly needed them to make the plays on the day. It wasn’t just the usual suspects in Watt and Heyward, either. Herbig once again had a monster day, recording 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits. His play to force Carson Wentz into an intentional grounding penalty was underrated late in the game. This forced a 10-second runoff.
Keeanu Benton had two sacks and was a force in the middle, rushing the passer and collapsing the pocket.
It wasn’t just the guys up front, either. The Steelers schemed up pressures on blitzes, too, with Patrick Queen and DeShon Elliott recording sacks. Guys were consistently forcing Wentz to speed things up, leading to mistakes.
“Man, it was required. We got a lot of respect for Carson Wentz, man. He’s a veteran guy,” Tomlin said of the pressure. “They got a vertical passing attack, they go down the grass to their outstanding tandem of receivers. And so, we knew it’d be an opportunity to maybe provide some pressure because of their mode of operation, the fact that they’re a vertical group.
“But obviously, as you can see, they’re capable of making some plays as well.”
The Vikings hit on some big plays, including an 81-yard pass from Wentz to Addison that set up a touchdown just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter. That came from a blown coverage by safety Chuck Clark. But throughout the game, the Steelers had consistent pressure and got after Wentz a ton, leaving him bruised and battered.
They looked like the Steelers of old. Blitzing, confusing offensive lines, and turning up the heat over and over again.
It was needed, and it played a key role in the win. More of that moving forward, please.
