MASON RUDOLPH | PHOTO BY KARL ROSER/PITTSBURGH STEELERS

It turns out that the perceived emotional edge that the Steelers carried into their international game against the Vikings wasn’t just real, it was apparent.

There were hustle plays, energy plays and engagement plays on display that the Steelers hadn’t seen and rarely sees during any NFL Sunday game.

And those were plays the Steelers needed in Ireland in what could have been a blowout but turned into a nail-biter.

The most obvious of them was when inside linebacker Payton Wilson sprinted almost 60 yards down the field to catch wide receiver Jordan Addison and tackle him at the Steelers’ 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter — a heroic dash that temporarily saved a touchdown and in the process cost the Vikings valuable time off the clock. That move might have ultimately saved the game.

There was wide receiver Calvin Austin III 66 yards away from the line of scrimmage throwing a block on a safety that outweighed him by 46 pounds. That helped usher wide receiver DK Metcalf into the end zone on a spectacular, 80-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

There was even offensive tackle Broderick Jones chasing quarterback Aaron Rodgers up the field on a Rodgers scramble, which fortuitously put Jones in position to recover a Rodgers fumble.

The Steelers talk about this type of stuff all the time. Play to the echo of the whistle, follow the ball, never give up on a play, defend every blade of grass, etc.

Most teams probably do.

But what Steelers 24, Vikings 21 in Dublin confirmed is that such actions can make a difference for the Steelers.

The trip for the Steelers was special because of the organization’s longstanding ties to Ireland; the Rooney family’s roots are in Northern Ireland and former Steelers President Dan Rooney once served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland under President Barack Obama.

The Rooney family has long been passionate about Ireland and the Irish culture.

To the Rooney family, this was more than just another regular-season game abroad. The players responded accordingly and put together their best collective effort of the season.

Can they do it again?

And more specifically, can they recapture the emotion with which they played?

It started before the Steelers even left the United States, when current Steelers President Art Rooney II addressed the team.

Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said on his podcast he couldn’t recall such a thing happening in his 18 seasons with the team.

Head coach Mike Tomlin also got emotional talking with the players about the significance of the occasion the night before the game, and did so again afterward.

“We talked a lot about the late, great Ambassador Rooney last night,” Tomlin acknowledged.

In between, a Steelers-dominated announced crowd of 74,512 consisting mostly of Steelers fans from Western Pennsylvania and from around the globe kept the energy at a level rarely if ever experienced at Acrisure Stadium.

It turned out to be a sing-along, a celebration and a statement game for the Steelers all rolled into one.

But how will they respond when it’s just a game against Cleveland?

When it’s just another big one for the AFC North Division or a playoff spot?

The Steelers showed a formidable Vikings team in Dublin how good they can be.

It remains to be seen how good these Steelers can be without all the built-in intangibles.

They might need those against even more formidable foes waiting down the road.

And they won’t be playing to win those for the Rooney family or for the ambassador.

Theoretically, the energy and emotion on display against Minnesota can be generated through other forms of motivation, individually and collectively.

In practice, they’ll have to be for a good-but-not-yet-great Steelers team that’ll eventually need every edge it can get.

Mike Prisuta is the sports anchor/reporter for Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show. He’s also the host of the Steelers Radio Network Pregame Show and the color analyst for Robert Morris University men’s hockey broadcasts.