The Pittsburgh Steelers are set for an international matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, taking the field at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, on Sunday.
The Steelers notched a 21-14 win over the New England Patriots in Week 3, and following the victory, the team hoped to make the trip overseas as quickly as possible.
According to Steelers insider Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the team wanted to travel to Ireland early in the week. However, the NFL reportedly blocked these plans, wanting both teams to arrive at the same time.
“FYI, the Steelers wanted to go over early in the week, but the NFL said no and making each [team] arrive at the same time,” Dulac wrote. “I don’t know the exact reason for the change… Maybe it has to do with something about a competitive advantage. But it wasn’t the Steelers decision.”
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The Steelers traveled to London years ago when they played the Vikings in 213. Pittsburgh veteran Cameron Heyward discussed how painful that trip was during an episode of his podcast in 2024.
“The worst thing we did for that trip — we left on a Thursday night, got in Friday morning and went straight to practice,” Heyward said. “That was the first time I’ve seen coaches sleep in a meeting. There were players falling asleep during warmup. It was rough. Our team likes to believe we don’t need sleep, or we don’t need to get adjusted to the time.”
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The Steelers are 2-1 to start the season, suffering their lone loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 139 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Pittsburgh’s win over New England in Week 3.
The Vikings are also 2-1, fresh off a dominant blowout victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3.