Steelers survive late Vikings comeback to claim historic win in Dublin
Kenneth Fox
It has been 28 years since the Pittsburgh Steelers played a pre-season game in Croke Park against the Chicago Bears.
Back in 1997, Kerry were the All-Ireland Football champions under Páidí Ó Sé, and Clare were the All-Ireland Hurling champions, captained by the great Anthony Daly.
All these years later, there was certainly a lot of yellow around GAA HQ on Sunday, but instead of the green and yellow of Kerry, it was the iconic black and gold of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Over 30,000 fans have travelled from the United States to see the first-ever regular-season game to take place in Ireland, all part of the NFL's mission to grow the game internationally.
This year is bigger than ever, with games in Brazil, three games in London, as well as games in Berlin and Madrid.
The Steelers' opponents in Dublin were the Minnesota Vikings, who came into the game with the same record as them, with two wins and one loss.
Despite losing their young quarterback, JJ McCarthy, to injury two weeks ago, veteran Carson Wentz stepped in last week to lead the team to a win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In this game, things started poorly for the Steelers as quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked on the first play of the game.
After a quick three-and-out, the Vikings started well and began to march down the field. Things looked like they took a terrible turn, though, when the Steelers scored a touchdown from a fumble recovery.
That was until the referees ruled the player was out of bounds when he fumbled the ball, so the Vikings retained the ball. They were only able to get a field goal, leaving the score 3-0 to the Vikings.
The Steelers responded sharply with a great drive from Rodgers, ending in a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Kenneth Gainwell.
Terrible towels
The Vikings could not muster a reply, and once again, Rodgers had the ball under centre.
He found his best receiver, DK Metcalf, open down the middle of the field, who shredded the defence with a 30-yard run and a touchdown, sending the Steeler fans into a frenzy.
DK TO THE HOUSE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Gkz26tLjz3
— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) September 28, 2025
Whether it is at their home ground, Acrisure Stadium or Croke Park, the mere sight of the yellow terrible towels is enough to unnerve any opposing team.
That pressure soon told as Wentz was hounded by the Steelers' defence, causing him to throw into coverage where it was tipped and intercepted by safety DeShon Elliott.
In between stoppages in play (which American sports are known for), several celebrities appeared on the big screen, including Steelers superfan and Kerry footballer Paudie Clifford.
Connacht and Ireland rugby player Bundee Aki was also part of the official coin toss, with legendary Hollywood actor Bill Murray even being spotted in the crowd.
There were also plenty of unique fans in attendance, whether it was the Steelers fan dressed up in black armour like a Roman centurion or the Vikings fan wearing a Mandalorian helmet and Baby Yoda on his shoulder.
Steely defence
The game petered out as it got closer to half-time, with just a field goal from the Vikings to talk about, making it 14-6 to the Steelers at the half.
As the second half began, the sun started to peak through the clouds, illuminating the beautiful Croke Park field. The fans on Hill 16 were even able to soak up the rays as well.
The famed terrace was converted into a seating-only section for the game. Showing how far the GAA have gone to accommodate a game of this magnitude.
While the State has spent €10 million to help host the game here, the expected benefit is set to reach close to €65 million. This game did not happen overnight, and it has been in the works for years.
The Steelers were founded by Art Rooney back in 1933, who traces his roots back to Newry in Co Down.
With the team still under the family's stewardship with Art Rooney Jr and Art Rooney II at the helm, it is clear why this game is so important to them.
As the second half progressed, the Rooney brothers must have been happy with how their team was performing.
The Steelers' defence started to take over the game, and when their star pass rusher, T.J. Watt, intercepted the ball mid-way through the third quarter, he set up their offence in prime position.
T J WATT pic.twitter.com/8aoNh17N4L
— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) September 28, 2025
Kenneth Gainwell rushed for another touchdown soon after, widening the lead to 21-6.
During one of the numerous intermissions, the stadium announcer said the attendance was close to 75,000. Not quite an All-Ireland final day, but still an impressive number.
With the game in hand, the Steelers continued to burn clock and added an extra three points, making it 24-6 with just over ten minutes to go.
The Vikings did keep it interesting, scoring a late touchdown through running back Zavier Scot and scoring the two-point conversion with seven minutes to go.
With three minutes to go, the game burst into life again when Wentz found Jordan Addison for an 81-yard gain. Now just yards out from the goal line, the Vikings went for it on fourth down and converted with a short pass to Jalen Nailor, making it 24-21.
Try as they might, the Vikings could not tie the score, and the Steelers were able to run out the clock for a win. What looked like it could have been an ugly loss for the Vikings ended up being a really competitive game.
Overall, Dublin and Croke Park were great hosts. The city centre was buzzing, and Merrion Square was turned into a Steelers' tailgate for the weekend, with plenty of family-friendly activities, from trying out kicking a field goal to some target practice.
There are areas to improve, though. Some of the stalls ran out of certain food at halftime, and the "loaded" nachos I got seemed to have a mere squeeze of cheese.
These are kinks that can be ironed out, and for its first NFL game, Croke Park became the perfect cauldron for American Football.
