Sep 16, 2017 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – The Steelers didn’t get any style points for their season-opening performance at Cleveland last Sunday, but they did get the most important thing – a victory.

Minnesota, meanwhile, looked like a team in midseason form in its opener Monday against New Orleans, winning 29-19 and rolling up 470 yards of offense.

None of that will matter when the teams meet Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh’s home opener.

At least that’s what the Steelers are hoping.

“(I’m) glad we won the game,” said Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of the victory over the Browns. “That’s all that matters.”

The Steelers know that playing as sloppy a game, as they did against the Browns, won’t lead to a victory against the Vikings.

Pittsburgh was penalized 13 times for 144 yards – nearly half of its own offensive output.

“Obviously, 140, 150 yards is way too highly penalized,” safety Mike Mitchell said. “It’s going to be tough for us to beat truly elite teams playing that way.”

The Vikings might be one of those elite teams.

Quarterback Sam Bradford set an NFL record for completion percentage last season and then went 27 of 32 against the Saints. Receivers Adam Thielen and Stephon Diggs had 157 and 93 yards, respectively. And rookie running back Dalvin Cook rushed for 127 yards in his debut.

The Vikings ranked third in the NFL in total defense last season and had five defensive players go to the Pro Bowl.

The Steelers were particularly impressed with Minnesota’s offense.

“They looked good. They looked really good,” Steelers cornerback Joe Haden said. “With the new running back, they were able to have some balance and be able to boot and play action. Those things work when you get the running game going.”

Bradford was limited in practice throughout the week with swelling in his left knee, the same one in which he has twice torn the ACL. The Vikings expect him to play.

If the Steelers can shut down Cook as they did with Cleveland’s running game – 57 yards on 25 carries – they believe they can pressure an immobile Bradford. The Steelers had seven sacks against the Browns and Minnesota has a completely revamped offensive line with three new starters, including rookie center Pat Elflein.

Some of Pittsburgh’s sacks were the result of players winning one-on-one battles. Others were coverage sacks that forced Cleveland rookie quarterback Deshone Kizer to hold the ball too long.

“Rush and coverage work together,” cornerback Artie Burns said. “We had tight coverage on the back end. When you do that on the front end, great things happen.”

The Steelers need to get running back Le’Veon Bell more involved in the offense. Bell had only 13 touches – 10 rushes, three pass receptions – against the Browns after reporting to practice with the team and signing his contract in the week leading up to the game. Bell got better as the game wore on, but the penalties helped cut the amount of times the Steelers could use him.

“He’s a guy who obviously (could) be a big factor for us, so I think that will all kind of take care of itself,” offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. “It’s his second week. Nobody had their best week last week, and so we all need to be better.”

That hasn’t been easy for the Steelers against defenses coached by Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer, the defensive coordinator in Cincinnati from 2009 through 2013. The Steelers were 6-4 against the Bengals when Zimmer was in Cincinnati with Roethlisberger throwing just nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.

“(Minnesota) looks a lot like what the Bengals used to,” Steelers guard David DeCastro said.

In that respect, the Steelers have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the Vikings’ defense.

Roethlisberger knows he’ll have to be patient. The Vikings will likely play both safeties deep and force him to throw short passes.

“As a quarterback, I’m a guy that wants to take big shots, but you also have to understand you can’t force it down there when they are two guys waiting for the ball,” said Roethlisbeger.

It might not add up to a lot of big plays, but it might add up to another win if the Steelers can reduce their penalties.

“I’m looking for big growth between the first outing and the second outing,” head coach Mike Tomlin said. “It’s reasonable to expect that we will get these penalties way down and way down quickly.”

The Steelers are 9-1 under Tomlin in home openers. … A win will be the 125th in the regular season for Roethlisberger, making him only the sixth QB in league history to reach that total with one team. … Steelers receiver Antonio Brown needs 165 yards to pass John Stallworth (8,723) for second place on the Steelers’ all-time list. … The Steelers are 14-2 in home openers at Heinz Field. … Defensive end Stephon Tuitt (biceps) and safety J.J. Wilcox (concussion) are not expected to play for the Steelers.