Steelers' Mike Tomlin hopes players keep fans energized at home opener

For the first time in two seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers will play a game in front of a capacity crowd at Heinz Field when they face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in the home opener.

Coach Mike Tomlin is hoping his players do a better job of keeping the crowd lively than when they tried to quiet a boisterous sellout group last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Entering the season opener as a decisive underdog to a team picked by many experts to make the Super Bowl, the Steelers fell behind early and trailed by 10 points at halftime before rallying to a 23-16 victory against the Bills.

This weekend, the Steelers will try to use the anticipated sellout crowd to their advantage.

“I’m excited about it, but I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking to our team about it,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “I’m going to talk to our team about the responsibility of creating that environment. It’s our job to make the plays to keep the crowd engaged and entertain them to make it as hostile as we can make it.”

Because of the coronavirus pandemic that restricted crowd sizes last year, the Steelers didn’t play a home game before more than 5,900 fans. They will have more than 10 times that many people pass through the turnstiles against the Raiders, who are coming off an overtime victory Monday night against Baltimore.

Against the Bills, the Steelers gave up a 75-yard return on the opening kickoff, which Buffalo turned into a field goal and 3-0 lead. The Steelers didn’t score until their first drive of the second half.

“You’re not gaining fluidity,” Tomlin said about the early deficit. “You’re not making the job easy for yourselves. We proceed with that understanding. We’re excited about getting back in the comforts of Heinz Field and entertaining Steeler Nation, but we also are not running from — we’re running to — the responsibilities that come with playing at Heinz Field.”

Tomlin didn’t detail any new injuries coming out of the Buffalo game. Reserve inside linebacker Robert Spillane, who was a late scratch after injuring his shin in warm-ups, is expected to be ready to play against the Raiders.

Tomlin said he may give a few veterans some time off early in the week, which would allow younger players to get some extra work with the first team. That could mean backup quarterback Mason Rudolph gets first-team reps Wednesday if Ben Roethlisberger takes his customary day off to start the practice week.

Here is some of what else Tomlin had to say about the matchup Sunday:

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