Too Little, Too Late: Minnesota Vikings Fall to Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland in Week 4

Minnesota Vikings fans had their hopes revived in the 4th quarter on Sunday in Ireland against the Pittsburgh Steelers only to have those same hopes dashed in the final minutes of the game.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda. With a chance to kick Aaron Rodgers’ ass in a third country, the Minnesota Vikings fell short and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland 21-24.

The Vikings’ offense was sluggish in the first two quarters, with only 6 points to Pittsburgh’s 14 at the half. But the offense came back to life in the 4th quarter, scoring two touchdowns and driving with a chance to win in the final minutes of the game. Instead of pulling off a comeback victory, the errors on that final drive call Kevin O’Connell's play calling and clock management into question.

While the Brian Flores-led defense did better than the Minnesota offense for much of the game, it looked much less dominant than the unit that bested Cincinnati the week before. Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense found a rhythm with the run game of Kenneth Gainwell, then gashed the defense passing to WR DK Metcalf 5 times for 126 yards.

The Minnesota Vikings' loss in Week 4 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland drops the Purple to 2-2 as they prepare to face the Cleveland Browns in London for Week 5.

In what is becoming a concerning trend, the Vikings lost C Ryan Kelly to a concussion (his second in 4 weeks) and T Brian O’Neill to a knee. With Donovan Jackson already out because of wrist surgery, the Vikings had only 2 of their starting offensive linemen playing.

Minnesota quarterback Carson Wentz was sacked a whopping 7 times by the Steelers. Under pressure for most of the game, Wentz went 30/46 for 350 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. Despite that, Wentz connected with WR Justin Jefferson for 10 times for 126 yards. He also had passing game chemistry with RB Zavier Scott, 6 receptions for 43 yards, and WR Jordan Addision, fresh from his 3-game suspension, 4 receptions for 114 yards.

The Steelers seemed to be begging to get beaten, allowing the Vikings to stay in the game and attempt a comeback win. But the slow start, sloppy play, and poor play calling were too much to overcome and Minnesota drops one in Ireland. Now 2-2, the Vikings must regroup and head to London to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.

#Vikings #MinnesotaVikings #MinnesotaVikingsFootball #NFL #Football