Pittsburgh Steelers down Minnesota Vikings 26-9
The Pittsburgh Steelers honored Dan Rooney in the best way possible: a home win against Minnesota. Pittsburgh downed the Vikings 26-9 at Heinz Field.
The Pittsburgh Steelers came home after a week one win over Cleveland. They did not disappoint and came out on top against Minnesota 26-9.
Previewing the game, I mentioned cleaning up the penalties had to be a priority. That will still be the case after the game in which they compiled 10 penalties.
These penalties did not slow the offense down as much as they did in Cleveland. However, they still need to be addressed nonetheless heading into week three.
Ben Roethlisberger continued his success at home going 23-35 with 243 yards and two touchdowns. He took care of the ball and directed the offense well against a tough Minnesota defense.
Bell had a better day going for 87 yards on 27 carries. He still struggled to find run lanes on most runs and averaged only 3.2 yards per carry.
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The big story of the day was Martavis Bryant’s return to Heinz Field. His first home game in a long time saw him catch three passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, a 27 yard slant where he burned the entire defense for the score.
The defense played very well holding Minnesota to 91 yards rushing and 146 passing. The front seven produced massive amounts of pressure on Case Keenum, who started for the injured Sam Bradford.
Pittsburgh came out with two sacks on the day, one each from Bud Dupree and Vince Williams. TJ Watt was around the ball a lot, including a pass deflection, before injuring his groin and missing the second half.
The secondary did a good job covering the receivers of Minnesota and limiting the damage they could do. They also held rookie running back Dalvin Cook to 64 yards on 12 carries.
Overall it was a good outing for Pittsburgh but could have gone better. The penalties are the biggest rough patch in the game.
If the offense can clean up the penalties in games, there is no telling what they could do. Shooting yourself in the foot multiple times a game will only hinder the true potential the offense holds.
The defense played well without Stephon Tuitt who is still nursing a biceps injury. Because of the team’s depth, the injury had less impact than that of Cam Heyward’s last season.
Next: Injury Report following Week 2 win
Pittsburgh will travel to Chicago to take on the Bears next week. They will look to start the season 3-0 and avoid letting the Bears win their first game of the season.