Jeremy Bergman’s takeaways:
Pittsburgh’s quick game unleashes Metcalf. The Steelers’ slow start this season on offense gave way to a first-half breakout for Aaron Rodgers and Co. The veteran QB targeted his fellow offseason acquisition, DK Metcalf, early and often on Sunday. On Pittsburgh’s second drive, Rodgers hit the hulking receiver thrice for 42 yards, moving the chains each time en route to a touchdown and a lead it would not relinquish. On the Steelers’ ensuing “drive,” Rodgers and Metcalf put an early nail in Minnesota’s coffin. On the very first play, No. 12 hit No. 4 on a crossing route right in the middle of Minnesota’s zone, Metcalf beat Harrison Smith around the corner, and the WR took it down the sidelines, speeding 80 yards to the house. For the 74,512 in attendance at Croke Park, the highlight-reel TD was also the longest scrimmage score in the history of the NFL International Series. Historic as it was, it was reflective of a Pittsburgh offense coming into its own as a quick-pass attack. Seventy-two percent of Rodgers’ passes came with less than 2.5 seconds to throw (81.3 completion percentage, 132.8 passer rating). This kept the pressure off the aging QB, who was sacked on the very first play, and the Steelers offense humming. That is, until two fourth-quarter stops in crunch time briefly let Minnesota back in the game. Pittsburgh’s production petered as the game wound down, but its hot first half and quick game was impressive enough to inspire hope heading into an early bye.Undermanned Vikings overwhelmed by Steelers’ veteran pass rush. After crumbling in the trenches down the stretch of the 2024 season, Minnesota made a concerted effort to beef up its lines in the offseason. Four games in, the Vikes’ best laid plans have gone awry. Already without rookie guard Donovan Jackson, Minnesota lost two more members of its offensive line on Sunday, as Brian O’Neill and Ryan Kelly left with knee and head injuries, respectively. That left backup QB Carson Wentz and backup RB Jordan Mason to fend for their lives against a veteran Pittsburgh front. It didn’t go well. Wentz was awful on third down, flustered to the tune of four sacks (six total on the day; Pittsburgh’s most in three years) and two midfield interceptions. Five Steelers logged at least three QB pressures, and five tallied at least one sack. In his second Vikings start, Wentz looked far more rattled, despite benefitting from the return of WR2 Jordan Addison, who broke free for a critical 81-yard gain in Minnesota’s fated second-half comeback. Justin Jefferson ate (10 catches for 126 yards), but what else is new? In the run game, Mason was held in check (57 yards on 16 carries) after rolling against Cincinnati. Adding insult to injury, with a chance to tie or win the game, Wentz’s final drive was a mess. He nearly threw two picks, committed an intentional grounding foul that lost Minnesota time and yardage and took a clueless delay of game penalty. There is no respite for Wentz and this banged-up Minnesota offense. The Vikings are the first team to play consecutive international games in different countries, meaning they’ll stay overseas for the coming week ahead of their Week 5 clash with Myles Garrett and the Browns’ No. 1 defense. Gulp.Gainwell fits right in for surprise inactive. Jaylen Warren, who is taking over as RB1 this season with Najee Harris out the door, was held out of Sunday’s game due to a nagging knee injury. Enter Kenneth Gainwell, the former Eagles RB and Saquon Barkley understudy. Gainwell got the nod as Pittsburgh’s starting RB over third-round rookie Kaleb Johnson, whose Week 2 kickoff gaffe has him in the doghouse. The fifth-year back made the most of his opportunity, with a regular-season career-high 99 rushing yards on 19 totes and a career-best two touchdowns. He generated positive EPA on 13 of 19 carries, resulting in a 68.4% success rate, the highest rate by a Steelers running back in a game since at least 2016, per Next Gen Stats. Gainwell was an ideal outlet for Rodgers in the short game and a shifty speedster on the edges of the ground attack. Could Pittsburgh lean more on the 5-foot-9 tailback after averaging an anemic 63 rushing yards per game and 2.8 yards per carry over its first three matchups? The Steelers will utilize the bye week to figure out their next steps in the backfield.
Next Gen Stats insight for Steelers-Vikings (via NFL Pro): Aaron Rodgers recorded an average time to throw of 2.17 seconds across 22 passes against the Vikings, his quickest average time to throw in a game since at least 2016. Rodgers also averaged just 2.6 air yards per attempt, more than one full yard fewer than his average in any other game dating back to 2016.
NFL Research: With his third-quarter interception, T.J. Watt became one of seven players with at least 100 sacks and eight interceptions in a career all time. The six others are all Hall of Famers: Lawrence Taylor, Richard Dent, Chris Doleman, Jason Taylor, Julius Peppers, Rickey Jackson.