Steelers' Coaching Staff Accomplished A Near Impossible Challenge During Matchup In Ireland

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to move to a 3-1 record after taking down the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 of the 2025 season during an international game in Dublin, Ireland. This game meant a lot to the organization in Pittsburgh due to the history between the Rooney family and the country of Ireland, and the Steelers certainly came out and played as if there was more at stake. The Steelers were underdogs going into the contest, but the team was able to surprise a lot of fans as it held a lead of 21-6 at the end of the third quarter.

Fans were nervous coming into this game as the Vikings have a ton of talent on their roster and one of the most highly-praised coaching staffs in the NFL. Head Coach Kevin O'Connell has been considered a "quarterback whisperer" and is widely regarded as one of the best offensive play-callers in the league, while Brian Flores is one of the best and most innovative defensive coordinators in the NFL. This is a daunting challenge, especially with the old-school, more traditional coaching staff on the Pittsburgh sideline. 

Although there is constant doubt surrounding Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff, his guys were able to step up on Sunday and they showcased a really affective game plan. Team insider Mark Kaboly spoke about this during a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan.

"I think they played extremely well," Kaboly said. "I think they outcoached the unout-coachable coaches in Kevin O'Connell and Brian Flores. I think this really shows that maybe Arthur Smith might know what he's doing a little bit. Maybe Teryl Austin might know what he's doing a little bit. Both of those guys pretty much made arguably the two best coordinators in the league look foolish at times just by scheming up some stuff. That's what has me looking forward to this."

The fan base in Pittsburgh has grown restless over the last decade or so. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season, so the frustration has been mounting and the fan are quick to turn on the coaching staff. However, Sunday's win over the Vikings was a great example of how good the two coordinators for Pittsburgh can be.

Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith has come into a tough spot in Pittsburgh as he has a young offensive line to work with that is certainly still growing and developing. This makes it hard to run the football at times, and it also makes the passing game extremely volatile, especially with an immobile quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. Smith found a way to run the ball on Sunday by utilizing a sixth offensive lineman, as well as Darnell Washington. This led to Pittsburgh's best rushing attack of the 2025 season as the offense was able to gain 131 yards on the ground, while also rushing for two touchdowns.

Steelers' Teryl Austin Finally Has His Defense Clicking

Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin was under fire throughout the first several weeks of the 2025 season as he has the NFL's highest-paid defense to work with, yet Pittsburgh was performing like one of the worst groups in the league. That has changed over the last two weeks, especially in Week 4 as the pass rush was finally clicking and the Steelers were able to take the ball away from Minnesota twice. 

The defense needs to build on that performance, as the group is going to have to be somewhat dominant if Pittsburgh is going to get to where it wants to go at the end of the 2025 season.