Week 2: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, September 17
Steelers’ 2016 record: 11-5
Vikings’ last win in Pittsburgh: 1995
When the Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers faced off in 2013 in London, Steelers’ running back Le’Veon Bell was playing in his very first NFL season. Now entering his fifth season with Pittsburgh, Bell is one of the best rushers in the entire league.
Minnesota will have to figure out how to not only deal with Bell’s playmaking abilities, but also avoid getting torched by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown.
With this matchup being early in the 2017 season, it will be a good way for the Vikings to gauge just how good their defense can be this year. If they can manage to find a way to slow down Pittsburgh’s explosive offense, Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer should be happy about his team’s chances in 2017.