Behind the Steel Curtain
The Pittsburgh Steelers held off a late comeback attempt from the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFL’s first regular-season game in Ireland by a score of 24-21. Overall, the Steelers played their most complete game of the season, and that may be thanks in part to the late Steelers owner Dan Rooney.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reflected on Rooney’s legacy in his postgame press conference, describing how fulfilling it was to come out of Ireland with a win.
“I know he’s smiling at us today, man. It’s just an honor to fulfill his vision,” Tomlin said. “To bring NFL football to Dublin, man, and (I’ve) been thinking about him a lot on a personal level, and so I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that.”
The late Steelers executive passed away in 2017 and was the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 2009-12. Rooney was a key leader of the Steelers through all six of the franchise’s Super Bowl wins; he’s also the man who hired Tomlin as the head coach of the Steelers in 2007.
And his effect was still felt on Sunday: Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson played his best game of the season for Pittsburgh, making a crucial downfield tackle on Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison for what would have been a touchdown. After the game, the linebacker mentioned that Tomlin’s pregame speech, mentioning Rooney, helped inspire the team’s play.
“When you see your leader cry for his leader, it makes you want to give it your all.”
The Steelers now enter the bye week with a 3-1 overall record. The Steelers may not have played flawless football, but today’s inspired play could be a huge step in the right direction. Rooney’s impact is still being felt by not only Mike Tomlin but by the entire Steelers team.
