17th regular-season meeting.
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The Steelers managed just two offensive touchdowns against Cleveland, though Heinz Field has a way of curing whatever seems to be bothering quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and company. The Vikings won the most recent meeting, 34-27, in September 2013 in London.
“My eyes light up when I see that”, said Easton, who also had a key block on the second play of the drive, a 21-yard completion to Jarius Wright. So was he just rusty after holding out until after the last preseason game, or are the Steelers going to use him less in an effort to keep him fresh? That’s their goal every week. If Bell could only muster 47 yards against the Browns, he probably won’t eclipse that total against the vaunted Vikings defense barring a miraculous turnaround. Expect that to change against the Vikings.
Le’Veon Bell is ready to get back to work for Pittsburgh. The Steelers want to get him more touches, especially early in the game, so he can develop a rhythm.
They wanted to force rookie quarterback Deshone Kizer to beat them by slamming the door on Cleveland’s running game and were largely successful in doing that. Now, depending on the severity of Bradford’s knee injury, Sloter may have a chance to dress for a regular season National Football League game. Plenty of those who follow and cover the team were not shy about what they think the transaction says about Bradford’s current health.
Adam Thielen had a field day in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints. For Pittsburgh, that performance was against the Browns; this will be a much loftier test for the Steeler defense.
Much has been made of the revamped Vikings’ offensive line. No pre-snap penalties in the hostile surroundings.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense may be bad against the pass, but they are great against the run. The Vikes revamped crew, with free agent starters at both tackle spots and a rookie at center, gelled nicely on Monday, but the 3-4 “Blitzburgh” defense will present them with lots of wrinkles. Antonio Brown had 182 yards receiving on 11 catches, including a long reception in the final drive to help run out the clock.
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“If he’s hitting his back foot and letting it go, it’s hard to get pressure on him”, Butler said about Bradford. Xavier Rhodes and linebacker? Rhodes is a big physical corner with excellent technique.
