Steelers Are Finally Home, And Finally Contenders

Mike Tomlin's Speech

The night before the game, head coach Mike Tomlin stood in front of his team, giving one final word before he sent them into a game against the Vikings. A historic game, especially one for the Rooney family and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That speech gave the Steelers something they've been searching for since the start of the season. A spark.

"Mike T talked to us last night about how much it meant to him, and he's probably going to get mad at me for saying he got teary-eyed," Patrick Queen said. "It's a side we don't get to see of him all the time. It's definitely big. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don't know if we're going to be able to come back, but I hope we do. It was an incredible experience."

Complete Performance

For the defense, they found the quarterback six times, with key contributions from Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig, two players the team has been waiting to see break out. DeShon Elliott returned and had an interception and a forced fumble. And T.J. Watt, Patrick Queen, Jalen Ramsey and Cam Heyward all had moments that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

On offense, they had their first 100-yard rushing day. Something they've been talking about for four weeks. Kenneth Gainwell and the offensive line put the team on their back to comebine for 99 yards and two touchdowns. And Metcalf finished with 126 yards, including an 80-yard burst, and a touchdown.

"I don't think it was nothing that they were doing, I think it was all us executing, being where we were supposed to be on time and Aaron just finding us," Metcalf said on the offenses performance. "We couldn't do any of it without the o-line blocking their butt off."

The Steelers are now 3-1 and sit at the top of the AFC North. They are on a two-game winning streak and had their most complete peformance of the season against a team that won 48-10 against Pittsburgh's AFC North rivals the Cincinnati Bengals just a week earlier.

"We came over here for one specific reason and that was to win. Mission accomplished in that area," Metcalf said.

Now, they begin their rest period but are likely eager to get back on the field and keep chipping away at the season. Because right now, they're a real contender, and a complete team with much more than "looking good on paper" to show for it.