Steelers good enough, shut down Bradford-less Vikings
Pittsburgh rookie wide receiver Ju Ju Smith scores during the second quarter on a four-yard shovel pass. It was Smith’s first NFL touchdown.
The Steelers wore a patch to honor late owner Dan Rooney Sunday. The patch contained Rooney’s initials DMR, Daniel Milton Rooney, inside a black and gold shamrock.
Minnesota quarterback Case Keenum gets off a pass while being hit by Pittsburgh’s Tyson Alualuand and Arthur Moats during the second half Sunday.
PITTSBURGH – The Steelers raised a flag in honor of deceased owner and chairman Dan Rooney over the concourse in the open end of Heinz Field Sunday.
And quarterback Ben Roethlisberger carried another flag with Rooney’s “DMR” initials on it out of the tunnel during warmups before their home opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Steelers then went out and hung a 26-9 workman-like beatdown on the Vikings, getting a pair of first-half touchdown passes from Roethlisberger and limiting Minnesota to just 237 yards.
“(It was) and emotional day for us,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “Our first regular-season home game without Mr. Rooney. It was great to be a part of the recognition of him and his services and what he provided for us.
“In terms of the game, we were better this week. We did what was necessary to win.”
After being penalized 13 times for 144 yards in a season-opening win at Cleveland last week, the Steelers (2-0) cut that yardage in half against the Vikings (1-1), drawing 10 penalties for 72 yards.
But Minnesota was hit with 11 penalties for 131 yards. And, for a team playing without starting quarterback Sam Bradford, who was a surprise scratch after dealing with knee pain throughout the week, that was enough.
Bradford was limited in practice all week and had an MRI Tuesday on his left knee, on which he has twice had reconstructive surgery. He briefly tested the knee prior to the game but was unable to play.
Backup quarterback Case Keenum started in place of Bradford and completed 20 of 37 passes but for only 167 yards.
“As a competitor, you always want to try to beat them with their best,” said Steelers defensive end Tyson Alualu, who started in place of injured Stephon Tuitt. “When we found out, we knew they were going to try to establish the run – they probably would have tried to do that with Sam – we put an emphasis on that.”
The Steelers did a good job of that, limiting the Vikings throughout much of the game. Only one drive in the third quarter, when they gave up a 21-yard catch to Stephon Diggs and then a 25-yard run to rookie Dalvin Cook to set up Minnesota’s lone touchdown – a 1-yard run by C.J. Ham – marred what was otherwise a good defensive effort.
“We expected them to run the ball. They did that,” said defensive end Cam Heyward. “They stuck with it. They lulled us to sleep in the third quarter.”
Pittsburgh’s offense, meanwhile, looked more in sync than it had at Cleveland.
Working against a Minnesota defense that ranked third in the NFL and had five Pro Bowl players last season, running back Le’Veon Bell gained 87 yards on 27 carries. It wasn’t his best game but certainly was better than his 10-carry, 32-yard game against the Browns.
“We were going against a very good group,” said Bell, who skipped the entire preseason before reporting two weeks ago.
“Those guys were very disciplined, even though the gaps got a little bigger and I was able to hit it a little more. They were only going for seven or eight (yards), rather than 14 or 15.”
Bell was effective enough to open up things for Roethlisberger, who completed 23 of 35 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the first half.
Roethlisberger’s two touchdown passes came on his first three completions. The first went to Martavis Bryant, who caught three passes for 91 yards and drew a 51-yard pass interference penalty. Bryant, working on 39-year-old cornerback Terence Newman, caught a crossing route and scored untouched. The second went to rookie JuJu Smith-Shuster on his first career catch, a 4-yard shovel pass early in the second quarter that made it 14-0.
The Steelers added four Chris Boswell field goals, coming from 46, 29, 37 and 43 yards.
“We moved the ball, but we didn’t convert third downs,” Roethlisberger said.
The Steelers were 3 of 13 on third downs.
“We made some big plays,” Roethlisberger said. “When you’re playing a good defense, you’ll take points, first downs or yards any way you can get them. You’ll say we’re not on the same page or in sync, but I’ll give credit to that defense.”
It wasn’t a pretty win by any stretch, but the Steelers are off to a 2-0 start.
“It was a good team win,” Tomlin said. “We made significant plays in all three elements of the game and that’s what’s going to be required. We realize we’re not going to be perfect, particularly at this stage of the journey, no one is. But we have to be good enough to win and we were.”
Rookie linebacker T.J. Watt left in the first half with a groin injury. He was replaced by Anthony Chickillo. … Left tackle Alejandro Villanueva left in the second half because of heat issues. Tomlin said Villanueva had been ill Saturday. … Right tackle Marcus Gilbert also briefly left the game in the fourth quarter because of cramps. … The Steelers are 15-2 in home openers at Heinz Field. … Linebackers Bud Dupree and Vince Williams had sacks for the Steelers.