DUBLIN -- Even though he's relatively new to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aaron Rodgers fully understands the Rooney family's connections to the Emerald Isle.
They didn't want to disappoint Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland's first regular-season NFL game.
Kenneth Gainwell did his part by running for 99 yards and two touchdowns in the 24-21 victory at Croke Park, and Rodgers connected with DK Metcalf on an 80-yard touchdown.
And the Steelers held on to improve to 3-1 going into their bye week.
"There were a lot of us that wanted to win a little bit more for the family, knowing how much affection they have for this area," Rodgers said.
The Steelers' victory gave quarterback Rodgers his first international win and capped a Rooney family homecoming in front of a decidedly pro-Steelers crowd of 74,512.
Rodgers was 18 for 22 for 200 yards and the touchdown to Metcalf, who had five catches for 126 yards.
"We made it a little bit more entertaining than maybe it should have been, but the Vikings had a lot to do with that," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.
Tomlin addressed the team Saturday to remind them of the late Steelers chairman Daniel M. Rooney's love of Ireland. He was the U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2009-12.
"I know he's smiling at us today," Tomlin said. "I've been thinking about him a lot on a personal level."
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