The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently getting acclimated to life in Ireland after flying overseas on Thursday night for the team's matchup with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Both teams will only be in Ireland for two days before playing their game, which does not give much time for both sides to get used to the time change. The NFL forced both teams to travel at the same time, so the Steelers could not have left earlier even if they wanted to. It will be interesting to see which team comes out to a faster start on Sunday, which is typically a good indicator of which team was more prepared.
Seattle Seahawks
Steelers' Mike Tomlin meets Seahawks' Mike McDonald after losing to Seattle in 2025.
The Steelers will go through practice on Friday and then a walkthrough on Saturday. A walkthrough the day before a game is pretty standard in the football world, and Minnesota will be doing it as well. However, there are going to be some differences. The venue for the game is Croke Park, and the Vikings will be traveling there to do their walkthrough on the surface they will be playing on. Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin is opting not to do that, which is something he told the media according to Brian Batko.
Vikings plan to hold their walkthrough tomorrow at Croke Park but Mike Tomlin said the Steelers will not make the 20-mile trip there and he’s not concerned about it.
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) September 26, 2025
“As long as the field’s 100 yards” and conditions are the same for both teams, “I care very little.”
Tomlin doesn't seem to have any interest in getting his guys on the actual playing surface before the day of the game, which isn't necessarily a big deal. The playing surface at Croke Park is a natural, custom turf. Pittsburgh has played on turf in all but one of their games during the 2025 season, so it shouldn't be much of a big deal that the players are not getting on the playing surface before game day.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin roams the practice field as his team works out during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Every coaching decision is going to be put under a microscope when it comes to these international games. If Pittsburgh loses the matchup, there will be some delusional fans who will find a way to place some blame on Tomlin for not having his team go walk around on the playing surface at Croke Park, but that is an utterly ridiculous argument that is ultimately inevitable.
There is something to be said for the Vikings deciding to visit the playing surface, however. Minnesota has played more international games more recently than the Steelers have, and they have been rather successful in those spots. The Vikings travelled overseas during the 2024 season to play a game internationally, which might give their coaching staff and roster a bit of a leg up on Pittsburgh.
Steelers Have Advantages Through Their Stay In Ireland
Pittsburgh is technically the home team in this matchup, which meant they got first dibs over Minnesota when it came to where the team would be staying. The organization chose to stay at a place called the Carton House, and the estate has everything the team could possibly need. There is no reason that any player or member of the organization would have to leave the estate, unless it is to explore Ireland or head into the city of Dublin, which is something most players are probably not doing.
NFL.com
Steelers' Cam Heyward and TJ Watt on the 2025 NFL Dublin Game graphic.
The estate has two full-sized football fields for the Steelers to utilize, and it also has everything the team might need when it comes to training and medical. Pittsburgh can completely focus on getting its bodies acclimated to being in a new country while also preparing for the highly anticipated matchup with the Vikings.
What do you think about Tomlin's thought process? Let us know in the comments below!
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