Steel City Blitz
Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Victory Monday.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it many, many times in the future, but you take a win in the NFL any way you can get it. The Pittsburgh Steelers had a 24-6 lead in the second half before ultimately beating Minnesota 24-21. It came to that conclusion due to a series of events inside the final five minutes and much of it had the fingerprints of Mike Tomlin all over it. Within those five minutes, there was much to debate and we’ll certainly do that on the podcast this week, but for now, let’s embrace being 3-1 and on top of the AFC North… Despite a lot of work still to be done.
Whether it was Teryl Austin or Mike Tomlin or both, the Steelers’ defense looked different on Sunday. There was more blitzing and there were more guys around the line of scrimmage and it clearly made a difference for a large part of the game. Six times Carson Wentz was sacked and twice he was picked off. The Minnesota running game was limited to 70 yards on 20 carries and I’ll be honest; the Vikings’ OL was a mess in the second half with several starters out or playing hurt. But that shouldn’t change the way we look at what the defense accomplished Sunday. Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig each had a sack and a half while T.J. Watt and DeShon Elliott picked up interceptions.
It really was a tale of two halves for the Steelers in some ways but there were some positive signs Sunday. For starters, the team ran for 131 yards on 29 carries. That included 99 yards on 19 carries by Kenneth Gainwell. With Jaylen Warren a late scratch, Gainwell picked up the slack and then some also scoring two touchdowns. His success was due to an offensive line that seemed to get some swagger back. They were more aggressive and Arthur Smith was more creative in his play design and play-calling. Obviously the passing game got a big boost from D.K. Metcalf’s huge first half as well.
What Payton Wilson did late in the game will not appear in the box score other than to say “a tackle.” It was way more than that however as the linebacker ran down the Vikings’ Jordan Addison inside the five-yard line. It was the end of a play in which the Steelers’ busted their deep coverage leaving Addison wide open. Wilson’s hustle resulted in the Vikings’ needing almost a full minute more to score. As things turned out, that minute turned out to be pretty huge. If you’re a parent, show your children that play. Never give up kids.
Hard to have any issue with what D.K. Metcalf did in the first half right? Four receptions for 121 yards and a score. The second half saw him have just...
