Scouting report: VIKINGS AT PITTSBURGH
12 p.m. Sunday • Heinz Field • TV: FOX, Ch. 9 • Radio: 100.3-FM, 1130-AM
About the Steelers (1-0)
• The Steelers held on to defeat the Browns 21-18 for a season-opening win in Cleveland.
• Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger began his 14th NFL season by surpassing Vikings Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton on the all-time passing list. Roethlisberger ranks No. 9 (47,077) after throwing for 263 yards against the Browns.
• Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell had a quiet start after abruptly ending his contract holdout Sept. 1. Bell, who averaged nearly 5 yards per carry last season, gained just 32 rushing yards on 10 carries.
• Pittsburgh's defense should present a stiffer challenge for the Vikings. They're coming off seven sacks of Browns rookie passer DeShone Kizer, including rookie T.J. Watt's two sacks in his NFL debut.
PLAYER TO WATCH | WR ANTONIO BROWN
• Brown, the sixth-round pick turned All-Pro, leads the NFL in receiving yards after one game with 182 yards on 11 catches against the Browns.
• No NFL player has more catches than Brown (492) in the past four seasons and it's not even close. No. 2 is Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas, who has 403 grabs since 2013.
• Brown accounted for 63 percent of the Steelers' yardage in Cleveland last week, but he ceded both of Ben Roethlisberger's touchdown throws to tight end Jesse James.
• Vikings corner Xavier Rhodes on defending Brown: "Good in space. He finds ways to get open. It's going to be difficult, but at the same time we're going to do what we do best: be aggressive, try to stop them on third down and create turnovers."
