Given how Sunday went, It's safe to say that the NFL wouldn't mind playing more games in Dublin. In what turned out to be a highly-entertaining game, the Steelers enjoyed a big lead for most of the way before having to hang on for a 24-21 win over the Vikings.
The Steelers led 24-6 before the Vikings began a valiant comeback led by Carson Wentz, who despite not having three offensive linemen produced two late scoring drives. Pittsburgh, however, was able to avoid a monumental collapse after turning the Vikings over on downs on their final drive.
Pittsburgh's big lead was the byproduct of an opportunistic defense, Aaron Rodgers and Kenneth Gainwell, who started in place of Jaylen Warren. Rodgers went 18 of 22 for 200 yards which included an 80-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf that gave the Steelers a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter. Ahead 14-6 at halftime, Pittsburgh stretched its lead to 21-6 after T.J. Watt's pick of Wentz set up Gainwell's second touchdown of the game.
The lead swelled to 18 points before Wentz and the Vikings started to mount a comeback that included Jonathan Allen's tackle of Gainwell on fourth-and-goal with 4:14 left. After the stop, the Vikings made it a three-point game after an 81-yard completion from Wentz to Jordan Addison set up his short touchdown pass to Jalen Nailor.
The Vikings got one last chance after forcing a Steelers punt, but Wentz and Co. were unable to complete would would have been an improbable comeback.
Here's a closer look at what went down in Dublin.
Rodgers completed his first 11 passes that included his big touchdown pass to Metcalf that gave the Steelers an 11-point lead. Rodgers and Metcalf had connected on three passes on Pittsburgh's previous drive that ended with Gainwell's first touchdown run.
With Warren out, Gainwell played a significant role in the win, rushing for 99 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in addition to catching all six of his targets for 35 yards. Gainwell led a much-improved Steelers running game that gained 131 yards on 29 carries.
The Vikings started the game without starting guard Donovan Jackson (who recently underwent wrist surgery) and lost fellow starting linemen Brian O'Neill and Ryan Kelly during the game. Their losses were certainly felt, as the Vikings couldn't run the ball with Jordan Mason and struggled to protect Wentz, who was sacked six times.
Despite the pressure and an 18-point deficit, Wentz refused to back down. He made several big completions during Minnesota's comeback that included his 81-yard bomb to Addison that set up his second touchdown pass of the fourth quarter.
Wentz, who like Rodgers also completed his first 11 passes, finished with 350 yards, two touchdowns and two picks on 30 of 46 passing. His leading receiver was Justin Jefferson, who had a somewhat quiet 126 yards on 10 receptions.
Red zone struggles and two turnovers on downs prevented the Steelers from putting this game on ice. The Steelers were 0-for-2 in the red zone in the fourth quarter before electing to punt the ball back to the Vikings instead of going for it on fourth-and-1 from the Vikings' 40 with 1:08 left.
Despite the late struggles, the Steelers' defense came up big when it had to when DeShon Elliott -- who picked off Wentz in the first half -- deflected Wentz's fourth-down pass on Minnesota's final drive.
Pittsburgh's defense also received big games from Watt and Keeanu Benton, who both recorded 1.5 sacks of Wentz. Watt also recorded his third career pick and his first one since the 2023 season.
Check out our live blog below to re-live Sunday's action in real time.
DeShon Elliott breaks up Carson Wentz's final fourth-down pass to seal the Steelers' 24-21 win. Pittsburgh hang out despite a valiant comeback by the Vikings, who trailed by 18 points before scoring 15 unanswered points.
The Steelers, instead of going for it on fourth-and-inches, decide to punt the ball back to the Vikings with 1:01 left. The Vikings need about 35-40 yards to be in FG range.
Wentz hits Jalen Nailor on a short pass on fourth-and-goal to make it a 24-21 game with 2:08 left. Scotty Miller recovers the onside kick, though, given the Steelers the ball near midfield.
The Steelers can effectively ice the game with one first down as the Vikings only have one timeout left.
Wentz hits a wide open Jordan Addison for 81 yards, giving the Vikings a first and goal with under three minutes left.
Jonathan Allen stops Gainwell short of the end zone on fourth-and-goal, giving the Vikings a chance with 4:09 left. Minnesota will have to move the length of the field, though, as this drive starts at the 1-yard-line. Look for the Vikings to try to get a chunk play with Addison or Jefferson.
Led by Wentz, the Vikings make it a 10-point game after Wentz hits Zavier Scott for a 16-yard TD. Wentz then connected with Jalen Nailor for the two-point conversion.
The Vikings took advantage of Pittsburgh's soft defense on that drive. It's now up to Minnesota's defense to force Pittsburgh to throw the ball.
Pittsburgh makes it a 24-6 game on Chris Boswell's 33-yard FG with 11L18 left. If we're going to be nitpick, the Steelers' offense is "just" 2 of 4 in the red zone after being the league's No. 2 most efficient red zone offense entering the game.
The Steelers are more than content getting a field goal there, though. The three points makes it a three-possession game. And given what the Vikings' offense has looked like, that appears to be a very safe lead.
Steelers No. 2 wideout Calvin Austin III stayed down after catching an eight-yard pass early in the fourth quarter. Wouldn't be surprised if Austin -- who is walking into the locker room -- doesn't play again today with the Steelers up 15 and with a bye week coming up.
Unless the Vikings come up with a big defensive play, this game appears to be a wrap. The Steelers have the ball in Vikings territory and are getting it done on the ground despite Jaylen Warren's absence. Rookie Kaleb Johnson -- who struggled during the season's first three games -- ended the quarter with a nine-yard run.
Keeanu Benton and T.J. Watt record the sixth sack of Wentz, leading to yet another Vikings punt. Minnesota doesn't appear to have any answer for Pittsburgh's pass rush with this makeshift offensive line.
Pittsburgh makes it a 21-6 game on Gainwell's second TD of the game. The scoring drive, was set up by Watt's pick, featured four straight runs by Gainwell, who gained 27 yards.
Pittsburgh has rushed for a respectable 69 yards on 15 carries, with Gainwell leading the way with 57 yards on 11 carries.
T.J. Watt records his eighth career pick and first since the 2023 season to end the Vikings' second drive of the half. Wentz, who was hit multiple times on the drive, is paying for the fact that Minnesota has lost two starting offensive linemen since kickoff.
Ahead 14-6, Steelers have another chance to distance themselves from the Vikings. They have the ball on the Vikings' 35 with 5:15 left in the third.
Carson Wentz appears to be dealing with something with his wrist on the Vikings' second drive of the second half. It didn't appear to hinder him on his third-down completion to Adam Thielen that moves the sticks.
Kenneth Gainwell received three touches on the drive, but gained just five yards. Vikings have clearly made adjustments after allowing back-to-back touchdowns in the first half. Metcalf hasn't been targeted since his 80-yard TD.
A split sack by Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig (his second of the game) forced a Vikings three-and-out to start the second half.
The Vikings are struggling on the offensive line. Center Ryan Kelly is being evaluated for a concussion, and RT Brian O'Neil has been ruled out for the rest of the game after getting hurt in the first half.
Score: Steelers 14, Vikings 6
First downs: Steelers 11, Vikings 10
Third down: Steelers 3-5, Vikings 1-6
Total yards: Steelers 183-165
Red zone: Vikings 0-2, Steelers 1-2
TOP: Vikings 17:44
Rodgers: 12-14, 165 yards, TD, 2 sacks
Wentz: 16-20, 154 yards, INT, 2 sacks
Gainwell: 5 carries, 24 yards, TD; 3 catches, 20 yards
Jordan Mason: 9 carries, 28 yards
Metcalf: 4 catches (4 targets), 122 yards, TD
Jefferson: 8 catches (8 targets), 97 yards
The Vikings parlayed the blocked FG in their second scoring drive, making it a one-score game at intermission. The drive's first play was a 29-yard completion from Carson Wentz to Justin Jefferson, who could have possibly scored if he hadn't fallen down after making the catch.
Everything was going Pittsburgh's way until Jalen Redmond sacked Rodgers which ultimately led to Isaiah Rodgers blocking Chris Boswell's short FG attempt.
Instead of a 21-3 or a 17-3 deficit, the Vikings have the ball and a chance to cut into their deficit with 1:38 left until halftime.
Wentz's first incompletion is a pick to Steelers safety DeShon Elliott -- who missed the last two games with an injury -- after pressure was applied by Derrick Harmon. Steelers now have six turnovers in their last six quarters.
Jordan Mason busts through the middle of the line for a nine-yard gain on fourth-and-1, as the Vikings are now in Steelers territory midway through the second quarter.
Mason had been contained prior to that play. Pittsburgh's defense has benefitted by the presence of first-round pick Derrick Harmon, who made his NFL debut last week after missing the season's first two games due to injury.
Rodgers hits Metcalf on an intermediate pass and DK does the rest, racing 80 yards for a score as the Steelers lead 14-3 early in the second quarter. Rodgers now 9 of 9 for 145 yards on Pittsburgh's first three drives. Metcalf already up to 122 yards on four grabs.
Nick Herbig's second sack of the season forces a Vikings punt. A false start and a lack of a running game contributed to the Vikings' first punt of the game. Credit also to the Steelers' secondary as that was a textbook coverage sack.
Despite the punt, Wentz has yet to throw an incomplete pass. He's 7 of 7 for 71 yards so far. In fact, neither QB has thrown an incompletion yet as Rodgers is 8 of 8 so far.
The Vikings, who had the ball for just one full drive during the opening quarter, are on the move after Wentz hits Jordan Addison for a 22-yard gain. Darius Slay, who was guarding Addison, looked to be in some discomfort after the play.
Speaking of injuries, Brian O'Neil is in the locker room after getting injured on the Vikings' successful FG in the first quarter.
Kenneth Gainwell scores the NFL's first regular season in Ireland with a one-yard TD run, giving Pittsburgh a 7-3 lead with 55 seconds left in the opening quarter.
The nine-play, 71-yard included a slew of quick passes from Rodgers, with three going to DK Metcalf. Pittsburgh has countered Minnesota's blitz by getting the ball out fast and moving Metcalf around.
The Steelers' depth at the skill positions also played a role in the successful drive as five different Steelers touched the ball.
After Ramsey's TD was overturned, the Vikings are able to drive into the end zone but settle for three after Patrick Queen sacks Carson Wentz on third down. Wentz had Justin Jefferson wide open on the play but didn't see him. Wentz was 5 of 5 for 44 yards on the 11-play, 51-yard drive that took 6:25 off the clock.
Vikings also suffer an injury: RT Brian O'Neil remained on the ground after the FG.
It appeared that Jalen Ramsey scored the game's first TD off a fumble, but the officials determined that Jordan Mason's leg hit the sideline while fumbling, which makes it a dead ball. Huge break for the Vikings.
Vikings sack Rodgers on first down and put pressure on him on each of Pittsburgh's first three plays. The drive ended with Rodgers hitting Darnell Washington for a short gain on third-and-12.
The Steelers ran play action on second down. Probably shouldn't do that given the offense line's struggles. Seems like Pittsburgh's game plan has been rattled without Warren, who was expected to play but didn't feel right during pregame warmups.
I do feel that the Steelers' defense is going to put pressure on Wentz which will lead to some turnovers. Rodgers and Pittsburgh's offense has made strides each week, and I think that'll continue today even without Warren.
Score: Steelers 20, Vikings 17
Offense: Keep Rodgers clean. Rodgers needs to stay upright and on schedule if the Steelers' offense is going to have success. I'm wondering if he and the offense will make a concerted effort to push the ball down the field more after not doing much of that the previous three weeks. That would stretch out the field while opening things up for Kenneth Gainwell, who is starting in place of Warren.
Defense: Force turnovers. The Steelers forced five in last week's win over the Patriots, and they'll probably need a few more today if they are going to win. More so, Pittsburgh would benefit by getting some turnovers in Vikings territory that would give its offense some desirable field position.
Full disclosure: I don't think the Steelers can beat the Vikings straight up, so a win today may require winning the turnover battle and getting some points off of turnovers.
Offense: Establish the run with the Jordan Mason, who is starting again in place of Aaron Jones. The Steelers' run defense was better last week, but they are still just two weeks removed from allowing back-to-back 100-yard rushers. A good running game will help keep the Vikings' offense on schedule while taking some of the pressure off of Wentz.
Defense: Pressure Rodgers. He was sacked seven times in Pittsburgh's first two games but wasn't taken down last week. With Jaylen Warren hurt, there's going to be more pressure on Rodgers to get it going in the passing game. The Vikings need to exploit that.
