Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger thought the Steelers would get out-coached by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but that wasn’t the case. The Steelers actually had the better game plan on both sides of the ball, especially on offense against Brian Flores’ innovative defensive schemes.
Kenneth Gainwell rushed for 99 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith utilized tight end Darnell Washington and an extra offensive lineman in Spencer Anderson to help bolster the run game.
The Steelers’ quick passing game also gave the Vikings’ defense fits. According to Next Gen Stats, Aaron Rodgers recorded an average time to throw of 2.17 seconds in Week 4, his quickest average time to throw in a game since at least 2016. On quick throws (under 2.5 seconds), he completed 13 of 16 pass attempts for 174 yards and a touchdown.
“As we’ve all seen, [he is] as advertised,” linebacker Jonathan Greenard said. “Crazy arm, obviously just getting the ball out quick. Understanding the defenses, trying to find the soft spots.”
Rodgers connected to DK Metcalf on an 80-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Rodgers’ pass was 22 yards, and Metcalf took care of the rest. Metcalf leads all NFL WRs in yards after the catch this season with 199, per Next Gen Stats.
“Get on a body. We tried to do that,” Vikings strong safety John Metellus said on how Minnesota tried to defend the Steelers’ quick passing game. “Missed a couple of tackles and DK goes down the field for 80 yards. Obviously, tackling [has] got to be better as a group. Got to find a way to get down these guys down. That’s really how you stop quick game, get on the body and tackle. We just didn’t do that at a very high clip.”
RODGERS TO METCALF. 80 YARD TOUCHDOWN.
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Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Y4jelTbNJ1— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
On the defensive side of the ball, the Steelers just bullied the Vikings’ makeshift offensive line. Quarterback Carson Wentz was sacked six time and hit 11 times. The defense also forced two turnovers.
After a slow start to the season, the Steelers’ defense has produced 11 sacks, 49 pressures and seven takeaways in the last two weeks.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Vikings Defenders Admit Steelers’ Game Plan Gave Them Fits
