INJURY UPDATE: Pittsburgh rookie LB T.J. Watt left in the first half with a groin issue but said he considers it “something minor”. Thielen was tied for the team lead with six targets and he will have value going forward in PPR formats following Bradford’s return. But they could be looking at having to start Case Keenum again on Sunday against Tampa Bay. Everson Griffen had two sacks (which are hard to get against Ben Roethlisberger), but the highlights for the defense were too few and far between to get the win. Right now, Bradford is the team’s most valuable player, so losing him this early into the season could be disastrous. Not the players feeling pressure to improve that ranking, but instead them relentlessly applying pressure. The group that sputtered through a forgettable second half last fall appears considerably more dynamic.
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The Steelers did a good job of that, limiting the Vikings throughout much of the game. As they head into a Week 2 showdown against the high-powered Pittsburgh Steelers, that excitement is beginning to dwindle as questions have been risen regarding the health of Minnesota’s starting quarterback.
If it wasn’t for Antonio Brown’s spectacular day on Sunday, the Steelers could be going into Week 2 with a loss.
“I knew Chickillo was going to come in and give us everything he had”, Shazier said.
Bell was limited to just 13 touches against the Browns, something Tomlin attributed more to spotty play around Bell rather than his extended sabbatical following an offseason contract impasse. Considered a game-time decision after suffering a knee injury in Week 2, Bradford will now sit this one out.
Pittsburgh has too many weapons on offense, and despite the Vikings defense being a top unit in the National Football League, the Steelers can match that. In fact, of the 20 total rushes that the Vikings offense had during Sunday’s game, almost half of them, 9 to be exact, were successful ones based on down, distance and yards gained. Did we make some mistakes yesterday? After lighting up the Saints for 346 yards and three touchdowns just one week ago, the long-term loss of Bradford would’ve been crushing. “[Keenum] got deep a couple times, you know, and we’re not protecting at that depth”. “When you’re playing a good defense, you’ll take points, first downs or yards any way you can get them”.
The score was set up by a 49-yard pass interference call against Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes, who tackled Bryant at the Minnesota 12 on a second-and-22 bomb from Roethlisberger.
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Coach Mike Zimmer has said he expects Bradford to take the field despite the knee injury he suffered last week. “We’ve been in that situation thousands of times in practice. We just want to go with the plan we have and do the best we can”.
