Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for Week 2 battle with Minnesota Vikings
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings both started off the season with a win. The two will clash Sunday at 1pm eastern at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Week one is in the books and Pittsburgh is on the right side of things so far. They started slow against Cleveland but came out on top 21-18.
The offense seemed out of sync last week specifically in the running game. Le’Veon Bell was held to just 32 yards on 10 carries.
Penalties had as much to do with the slow offense as anything. Any time the Steelers got a positive play for a good gain, there was laundry on the field.
Cleaning up the penalties will need to be the first thing on Pittsburgh’s mind. The offense will undoubtedly follow with production.
The defense played fairly well in the opener but they will have a tougher task on their hands come Sunday. Minnesota has a better offense with an experienced quarterback running it.
Injuries are going to play a big factor in this game as the Steelers may be without Stephon Tuitt this week after injuring his left biceps in the first series against Cleveland. This will challenge the depth if he cannot go as Tyson Alualu and LT Walton will need to step in.
The match-ups in this game are very intriguing. Antonio Brown will be facing a better secondary from Minnesota headed by Xavier Rhodes. The Brown-Rhodes battles will be a game within the game.
The Vikings also sport an extremely talented front seven so the run game is not going to get an easy opponent to get back on its feet. The offensive line will have to step up big and give Bell room to do what he does best.
Ben Roethlisberger did not have a bad game but he was not spectacular in Cleveland. He is going up against a very good defense and will need to focus and be on point with all his throws.
The defense might miss Tuitt but that gets minimized, at least some, with Alualu and Walton. The real test will be the secondary covering the weapons of Minnesota.
Pittsburgh has been known to have trouble with the athletic tight ends in the league and Kyle Rudolph fits that mold. Shazier will likely have coverage responsibility on Rudolph with help from safeties and slot guys.
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The game will be a good test for the Steelers early this season. There are some questions about whether Sam Bradford will be able to go which is worth monitoring because, if he cannot play, the backup Case Keenum will start. in his place.