Steel City Underground presents post-game takeaways in our Steelers Offseason Recall series, revisiting key moments from the 2025 season and how they shaped the year that followed.
By Week 4 of the 2025 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had already become one of the league’s more polarizing teams. Questions remained about the offense, the roster turnover, and whether the team could truly contend. Then came a trip overseas.
On a mild afternoon in Dublin, the Steelers delivered one of their most complete performances of the early season, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 24–21 despite entering the matchup as underdogs in the eyes of many analysts. The final score suggested a close game, but the bigger takeaway was how Pittsburgh won: balance on offense, impact plays on defense, and contributions from across the roster.
Looking back, these were the five biggest surprises from that win.
Kenneth Gainwell broke out in place of Jaylen Warren
With Jaylen Warren unavailable, many expected Pittsburgh’s ground game to struggle. Instead, Kenneth Gainwell delivered his best outing of the season.
Gainwell rushed for 99 yards, averaged 5.2 yards per carry, added receiving production, and scored twice. More importantly, his performance gave the Steelers offensive balance they had struggled to find through the opening month of the season.
Pittsburgh finished with 131 rushing yards overall and consistently stayed ahead of Minnesota’s pressure looks. What stood out wasn’t just Gainwell’s production — it was the physical identity the Steelers showed against a defense designed to create chaos.
D.K. Metcalf finally delivered the explosive performance fans expected
The Steelers made a point to involve D.K. Metcalf early. Quick throws from both outside alignments and the slot allowed Metcalf to get comfortable before delivering the game’s biggest offensive moment: an 80-yard catch-and-run touchdown that completely flipped momentum.
Metcalf finished with five receptions on five targets for 126 yards and a score.
The performance also forced Minnesota to back off loading the box against the run, creating the offensive balance Pittsburgh had been searching for all season.
Aaron Rodgers quietly controlled the game
Rodgers’ stat line didn’t jump off the page. He completed 18-of-22 passes (81.8%) for 200 yards and a touchdown while taking only two sacks. But numbers alone didn’t explain his impact.
Throughout the game, Rodgers appeared fully in command, communicating with linemen, directing skill players, and managing situations like a veteran quarterback who had seen every defensive look imaginable.
He even added moments that reflected confidence and trust in the offense: keeping drives alive with movement, helping in the run game, and overseeing one of the game’s more memorable wrinkles when Connor Heyward took a direct snap in short yardage while Rodgers casually stood aside.
It wasn’t flashy, but it was consistent.
The defense looked better than the yardage totals suggested
Seeing Carson Wentz throw for 350 yards would normally imply defensive struggles but that wasn’t really the story.
Pittsburgh’s defense pressured Wentz relentlessly, finishing with six sacks and generating impact plays throughout the afternoon. Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig each recorded 1.5 sacks, while T.J. Watt added both a sack and an interception. DeShon Elliott also created a turnover.
There were additional moments that nearly became game-changing highlights.
Jalen Ramsey appeared to score on an early fumble return before it was overturned, and James Pierre narrowly missed securing another interception. The Steelers also limited Minnesota on third downs and bottled up the run game, holding the Vikings to one of their lowest rushing outputs of the season.
Looking back, Dublin felt like the day the defense finally started finding its identity.
They still found a way to make it dramatic
Of course, it wouldn’t have been Steelers football without unnecessary late-game stress.
Leading 24–14 late in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh reached the Minnesota three-yard line with a chance to effectively end the game. Communication issues followed as Rodgers motioned to keep the offense on the field while the field goal unit briefly prepared to enter. The confusion disrupted tempo and ended with Gainwell being stopped short on fourth down.
Minnesota responded with a quick touchdown drive and suddenly made the final minute uncomfortable. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, the defense closed the door with pressure, pass breakups, and one final stand to preserve the victory.
In hindsight, the Steelers didn’t play a perfect game in Dublin, but they played complementary football, leaned on their depth, and showed for the first time in 2025 what the roster could look like when offense, defense, and situational football all worked together. That made the trip to Ireland one of the season’s first true turning points.