The Steelers head back on the road to take on a lesser opponent as the Minnesota Vikings play host.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading back onto the field as they get ready to face the Minnesota Vikings. This past weekend created a new outlook on the season but nothing that propels this team back into relevancy at the moment. They’re not playoff contenders but with some win-streaks down the stretch here, that could change.
That win streak could start here on a short week against the Purple People Eaters. This Minnesota team is not very good and the Steelers should be able to win without much concern. They are coming off a tough divisional game that will make matters tougher than they need to be.
This is a prime opportunity for the away club to start stacking victories and potentially return into the playoff standings. They need to win the games that they’re supposed to first before they focus on getting some upsets. This game against the Vikings will be another matchup that they are supposed to win.
The Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens are going to be some tough matchups. Those will be future concerns, but this final stretch might create a tough conclusion to the season. They will need to win this game and potentially three more after this week if they want to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
The Vikings are still a tough opponent as they have upset many playoff-caliber teams like the Green Bay Packers in 2021. The experts have submitted their selections for this week and the black and gold could be early favorites. Many should expect them to win this game after the outcome on Sunday.
Steelers vs. Vikings: Who the experts are taking in Week 14
The three experts come from sportingnews.com, cbssports.com, and profootballnetwork.com. Each site has submitted its weekly predictions for this head-to-head matchup. Some of their predictions may surprise you after last week’s win.
CBS Sports
This expert had a tough time wrestling with their decision on this game. They ended up going with the Vikings winning in an upset by a score of 23-20. The short week will be tougher on the Steelers than it is on Minnesota, that is their main logic for predicting this outcome.
Sporting News
Sporting News has the away club squeaking out a win by a score of 23-20. Their logic is the injuries that will keep key players out of the lineup for the Vikings while also having a struggling defense. They are not the best unit, especially when it comes time to stop the running attack from opposing offenses.
Pro Football Network
This expert has full belief that the Vikings will win this game over the Steelers. Their confidence is almost shocking as they haven’t considered Pittsburgh to be much of a threat with Minnesota winning 27-22. It will be a close game that will be dictated between these two coaches and the running game.
Final Prediction: Steelers 24, Vikings 21
The Steelers should be able to handle business against the Minnesota Vikings under the lights on Thursday. It will be a tough game as the Vikings are a competitive team but this is a chance for the road team to make a statement. They need to prove that they can beat teams like this, one’s that are competitive but not playoff-caliber.
Pittsburgh losing here would put the final nail into their fading playoff hopes, even after this weekend’s big upset against Baltimore. It won’t be an easy game but the black and gold should be able to do enough to win this game.
Minnesota has a poor defense that cannot stop the run game consistently. Najee Harris should get a lot of opportunities and Ben Roethlisberger should be able to open up the passing attack after that. The Vikings also lack a solid offensive line to protect their quarterback.
The biggest issue that Pittsburgh will face is trying to hinder these receivers that they will go up against. Injuries will lessen that hindrance but it will still be present. This game is very winnable for the incoming team but they will struggle at times for a wide array of reasons.
The Steelers can’t afford to lose this game after what they were able to accomplish last week. This could be an upset as the Vikings are a better team than their record shows.