Steelers, Vikings look to prove themselves
There’s a mystery show on TV in prime time Thursday night: Pittsburgh versus Minnesota.
There’s no way to figure out these two teams. The Vikings (5-7) go from on the rise in a victory over NFC power Green Bay to heading into the abyss after a loss to previously winless Detroit.
The Steelers (6-5-1) can’t get out of their own way on both sides of the ball at times, then knock off AFC North leader Baltimore.
Each of them remain in the playoff chase, though. Each needs a star player — Steelers linebacker/edge rusher T.J. Watt and Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson — to carry them.
“He’s a game wrecker,” Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick says of Watt, who was precisely that against the Ravens. “He’s a guy that’s going to go out there and cause havoc. Just the energy that he plays with, the passion he plays with. I wouldn’t call it the anger, but when he’s out there, he’s angry.”
Jefferson is more smooth. He’ll need to be particularly impactful this week with sidekick Adam Thielen hobbled by a sprained ankle.
“As long as we don’t get the ‘W,’ it doesn’t matter what type of game I have,” Jefferson said. “If I have a career game, record-setting game, it doesn’t matter. If we don’t come out with the ‘W,’ it’s pointless.”
According to FanDuel SportsBook, the Steelers, ranked 14th in the AP Pro32, are a 3-point underdog at the No. 22 ranked Vikings.
