Vikings Legend Fired Up a Nothingburger
He still has time to flip the script, but in his first game with his new team on Sunday, former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen did next to nothing.
A former Vikings WR did almost nothing in his debut with his new team, yet he sparked a whole lot of buzz that turned out to be nothing.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, on the whole, prevailed in a mammoth game, though Thielen wasn’t much of a factor. With four games left in his regular season career, Thielen will hope for a different outcome in Week 14.
Ex-Vikings WR Adam Thielen Does Nothing in Pittsburgh
A quiet afternoon for the 35-year-old.
Adam Thielen Struggles in Game No. 1 with Steelers
Pittsburgh pulled off a crucial dub at Baltimore on Sunday, with its playoff hopes hanging in the balance. Sadly, Thielen didn’t have much to do with it.
Thielen’s buddy, Aaron Rodgers, targeted him just one time, a pass that Thielen hauled in for 4 yards. One catch, 4 yards. He basically carried over his 2025 Vikings production to the Steelers’ offense, although he didn’t drop any balls, which was frequently the case this season in Minnesota.
Because of Rodgers’ affinity for finding “his guys” — Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard in recent years, for example — many believed that Thielen could be uncorked in his first game as a Steeler. That did not happen.
It was more of the same for Thielen, who is about a month away from the end.
The DK Metcalf Show
Metcalf, on the other hand, did not emulate Thielen’s woes. The monster-sized wideout tallied 7 receptions for 148 yards, while halfback Jaylen Warren joined the party via Rodgers’ now-preferred small-ball tendencies, with 3 catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Calvin Austin III caught a pass for 31 yards, and RB2 Kenneth Gainwell — who torched the Vikings two months ago — had 6 receptions for 27 yards.
Pittsburgh’s offense is very much dink-and-dunk.
Steelers Change 2025 Momentum
After a week’s worth of some Steelers fans calling for Mike Tomlin’s job after nearly 20 years in the saddle, Pittsburgh is back. Most didn’t expect Tomlin to win on the road Sunday, but he did it anyway.
Per the New York Times, the Steelers now have a 67% probability of reaching the playoffs. To be safe, Tomlin and friends must likely win two more games to shimmy them into the tournament. A loss at Baltimore might have left Pittsburgh for dead and assuredly would’ve raised the “Fire Tomlin” chants all the way to the heavens.
Here’s the remaining schedule for Thielen’s Steelers:
- Week 15: vs. Miami Dolphins
- Week 16: at Detroit Lions
- Week 17: at Cleveland Browns
- Week 18: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Losing three games would reopen the door for Baltimore.
Maybe This Week Will Be Better for Thielen?
Not for nothing, Thielen’s transfer of non-impact and struggles need not continue. The guy may need a week or two to hit his groove in Arthur Smith’s offense. That’s a real thing.
There are just two knocks on Thielen: a) He must beat the allegations that he is “washed;” he didn’t do that at Baltimore b) Thielen has just four games left in his career.
It’s go-time for Thielen, and thankfully for his sake, he’s two wins away from probably visiting the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
The Viking Age on Thielen
Adam Patrick at TVA twisted the knife on Thielen’s departure after Week 14, “Returning to the Vikings was never about Thielen finishing his football career in Minnesota. He knew his snaps were going to be cut in Carolina, so he wanted out, and then the same thing happened after a few months with the Vikings.”
“Oh, how silly of Minnesota to not want to give a ton of snaps to a wide receiver who had a 16.7 percent drop rate this season when wore their uniform. How silly of the Vikings to want younger, faster, and more reliable receivers like Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor to get more snaps than a 35-year-old pass-catcher with one foot already in the retirement home.”
The Steelers are early three-point favorites on Monday Night Football in one week at Miami.
Patrick also noted, “Like every pro athlete, Thielen’s a competitor, and he wants to get on the field. That’s completely fine, but he needs to take a step back and read the room because he’s not the Pro Bowl version of Adam Thielen anymore. He’s not even the 2024 version of Adam Thielen anymore.”
“Minnesota didn’t give him snaps for a reason, and it probably isn’t going to take very long for Pittsburgh to do the same thing. So what’s going to happen if the Steelers don’t give Thielen enough snaps to make him happy in a week or two? Is he going to quit on another team?”
Thielen has confirmed that his retirement will take place at the end of Pittsburgh’s season.
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