Our (sometimes) weekly sit down with the enemy
It is, once again, time for us to sit down with the good folks from the SB Nation NFL blog that covers the team that our Minnesota Vikings will be facing off against.
With the Vikings heading over to Dublin, Ireland to face off with the Pittsburgh Steelers, that means that we get to talk with the guys from Behind the Steel Curtain. I exchanged questions with Ryland Bickley, the assistant editor of BtSC, and I’ll provide his answers to the questions I posed to him below. You can see my answers to his question over on their side.
1) This offseason, the rumors were rampant (and irresponsible, but that’s a separate discussion) that Aaron Rodgers really wanted to come play for Minnesota in 2025, but he now finds himself at the helm in Pittsburgh instead. What are your impressions of the Vikings’ old nemesis through the first three weeks of this season?
He’s looked alright. He’s definitely no longer the player Vikings fans remember facing when Rodgers was a Packer, but I’d argue the future Hall of Famer has already shown he’s the best quarterback Pittsburgh has seen since Ben Roethlisberger.
Rodgers’ Steelers career started with a flashy four-touchdown stat line against the Jets in Week 1, but it was a gameplan and matchup that succeeded with receivers wide open off of play action and short passes with yards after catch opportunities. Rodgers was great in that game, but since then, it hasn’t been as easy, and he and his receivers haven’t been able to push the ball downfield.
And as you’d probably expect, the veteran quarterback has had his fair share of frustrations with his pass-catching group when plays go off script.
The Steelers offense has been below average through four weeks (points per game are fine but Pittsburgh is bottom three in yardage), but it’s not all Rodgers’ fault. The Steeler run game has been underwhelming yet again, and the offensive line remains a work in progress. And Rodgers just isn’t the type of quarterback who can carry his team on his back anymore. His lack of trust in his O-line has really shown with Rodgers looking uncomfortable in the pocket in recent weeks and even rushing some uncharacteristic bad reads.
Still, he hasn’t lost all of the arm talent that helped make him such a special player in his prime. Every now and then Rodgers still shows off the ability to uncork an absolutely gorgeous throw.
He’s still a starting-caliber quarterback. But he’s not that same old nemesis Vikings fans remember.
2) Pittsburgh appears to have had their struggles on defense early on this season, giving up 30+ points in two of their first three games, but they’ve been dealing with some injury issues. Tell us about those and whether or not those pieces of the defense could potentially return against the Vikings.
The star-studded Pittsburgh defense really disappointed out the gate. There were a bevy of problems, highlighted by the front seven getting bullied in the run game, and miscommunications and poor scheming setting the secondary up to fail, especially in the middle of the field.
As the question mentions, the Steelers have had some injury problems on defense, but they are far from the root cause of the team’s issues on that side of the ball.
Still, Pittsburgh has been getting healthier in that area, and it will be a help against the Vikings. DeShon Elliott is one of the better box safeties in the league, and after missing the last two games he looks primed for a return on Sunday. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. also looks like he could return after missing the last two weeks. He’s a talented boundary defender who will bolster the team’s secondary depth.
On the defensive front, the Steelers are going to be without an excellent edge rusher in Alex Highsmith opposite T.J. Watt, but his replacement is Nick Herbig, who’s starting caliber in his own right with a lethal speed rush. But depth behind Watt and Herbig isn’t all that inspiring.
And the biggest recent injury update is that rookie first-round defensive lineman Derrick Harmon made his NFL debut last week after a preseason injury. He looked like a rookie at times in that game, but is already one of the team’s most talented linemen and should continue to gain a bigger role up front. The Vikings should be facing the healthiest version of this Steeler defense since Week 1.
But ultimately, it’s a group that hasn’t really lived up to its billing outside of forcing five turnovers last week against the Patriots. I wouldn’t call this a good defense yet, but there’s enough talent still that they’re absolutely dangerous week to week.
3) The Steelers gave up a home game this season in order to serve as the host team for the NFL’s first-ever game in Dublin. We all know how well Steelers fans travel, but what’s the feeling among the fanbase about overseas games? Do they like them or is it something they could do without?
Earlier this week I actually asked our readers at Behind the Steel Curtain what they thought of the Steelers playing international games, and the overwhelming sentiment was that they were not fans. It’s an unorthodox kickoff time, one less home game, a marketing stunt from the NFL, and historically, players haven’t been the most enthusiastic about playing overseas.
That said, all the fans and media that I’ve seen make the trip appear to be having a great time across the pond. I bet it’s a great experience if you have the time and money to make it happen.
4) Give us one “under the radar” player on each side of the ball that Vikings fans will need to be aware of on Sunday.
Although maybe not under the radar at one point in his career, safety Jabrill Peppers was an in-season signing for Pittsburgh who made his Steelers debut last week against the Patriots. He looked great, excelling in the box and providing a clear boost to what had been a struggling run defense to open the season. With DeShon Elliott set to return, there’s some redundancy between the two skill sets, but Peppers was too impactful last week to be kept off the field too much against Minnesota.
(No. 40, in the guardian cap)
On offense, I’ll highlight one of my usual picks for this question: wide receiver Calvin Austin III. He’s a dangerous deep threat (4.32 speed) who’s developed into a nice role player for Pittsburgh. He hasn’t been a high-volume target (just eight catches through three weeks), but seems to be good for a big play or two a game. He sped by the Patriots defense for a 17-yard touchdown last week that would be the deciding factor in a one-score Steelers victory.
5) These teams are both 2-1 heading into this Week 4 contest. Which one do you think will emerge with a 3-1 mark and why?
While I’m sure a lot of fans would say this about their team, the Steelers are a squad capable of beating any team week to week in truly ugly fashion — or losing in an even uglier way. Case in point was last week, where the Steelers had a +4 turnover margin and still only managed three scores in a 21-14 victory. And playing at a weird time in a different country on Sunday, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything.
Still, this feels like a matchup the Vikings win. While the Steelers have talent, they’ve struggled with communication and cohesion through two weeks, making the Vikings, known for their creative looks and excellent coaching, a tough matchup. I imagine Brain Flores is giddy scheming up looks to mess with Pittsburgh’s uncoordinated offensive line.
I’ll go with Minnesota winning 28-20.
Thanks again to Ryland for taking the time to answer our questions for this week!
Category: General Sports
![Live updates; SN No. 2 IMG Academy [FL] vs. Phenix City Central [AL]](https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_sporting_news_articles_584/9b6982fad57ad16e6880a1be2aeb14c4)
