Sep 14, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin looks form the bench before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Mike Tomlin Hid Ireland Travel Schedule From Steelers Players

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 11:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New England Patriots in Week 3 to improve their record to 2-1. The team must now move on quickly as they will travel across the Atlantic Ocean to Dublin, Ireland for an international contest against the Minnesota Vikings.

The next week is a whirlwind of a schedule for the Steelers, but the players didn't learn about the exact details after their most recent victory. SI’s Albert Breer spoke with Pittsburgh edge rusher T.J. Watt following their win over the Patriots. Watt explained that his head coach, Mike Tomlin, hid the team's travel schedule for the upcoming days until after their game against the Patriots. Watt told Breer that Tomlin did this to keep focus on Week 3 and the task at hand.

"In an effort to keep the players’ focus where it needed to be, Watt said that Tomlin kept the schedule for the trip away from them the past couple of weeks," Breer wrote. "As such, the 31-year-old joked that his goal now is “first and foremost, learning the schedule.” After that, there’ll be plenty left to address."

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It seems that method and reasoning worked out for Tomlin and the Steelers. The team won a critical game against the Patriots. It was a game they easily could have overlooked in anticipation of the Vikings and their international matchup.

The problem, however, is now the team has a stressful week of travel ahead. The team will fly out of Pittsburgh later this week, meaning they will have very little time to acclimate before taking on the Vikings. For many of the players on the Steelers roster, this is the first time they will head overseas for an NFL game.

The last time the Steelers played internationally was in 2013 against, surprise, the Minnesota Vikings. The two teams met in the United Kingdom, and the Vikings smashed the Steelers. Only one current player on the Pittsburgh roster played in that game, and that’s defensive tackle and captain Cam Heyward.

The team hopes to avenge that 2013 loss this coming week in Dublin. The Steelers enter with a 2-1 record after they edged out the Patriots. The Vikings also enter 2-1, fresh off an absolute stomping of the Steelers’ rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite losing their starting quarterback, the Vikings have a defense that's recorded multiple sacks in every game so far. They present another intense challenge for the Steelers as they try to continue building in 2025.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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