DUBLIN — DeShon Elliott sprinted down the field in celebration, football tucked under his arm and a packed Croke Park roaring behind him. As he reached the goal line, the Pittsburgh Steelers safety initially began posing with teammates for a photo.

Then, he had a better idea: He hopped to his feet and burst into an Irish jig.

“(It was) impromptu, because obviously it was terrible,” Elliott said with a smile. “But I think they loved it.”

During the first NFL game in Ireland, Elliott and company gave an international audience a true taste of Steelers football. The defense sacked, hurried and harassed Minnesota Vikings veteran backup quarterback Carson Wentz, forcing two turnovers and collecting six sacks. Running back Kenneth Gainwell racked up 99 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns, as the Steelers’ ground game found its footing even with Jaylen Warren’s injury absence.

But, as anyone who follows this team knows, it wouldn’t be a true Steelers game without a nail-biting conclusion — 74,512 raucous fans felt that, too, as an 18-point lead morphed into a 3-point game in the closing minutes. It took one last defensive stand and an Elliott pass breakup on fourth down, but the Steelers will enjoy a celebratory flight back to Pittsburgh after their 24-21 victory — one that Aaron Rodgers and others acknowledged did mean more given the Rooney family’s ties to Ireland.

“We talked a lot about the late great ambassador (Daniel M.) Rooney last night,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “I know he’s smiling at us today. It’s just an honor to fulfill his vision, to bring NFL football to Dublin.”

More than anything, Sunday’s game — though imperfect — represented a notable step forward for a Steelers defense that had fallen short of expectations through the first handful of games. A three-play sequence in the third quarter summed it up best. On first down, Elliott sacked Wentz and jarred the ball loose. The Vikings recovered the fumble, but Wentz was sacked again on the next play — this time by defensive tackle Keeanu Benton. On third-and-16, T.J. Watt deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage and intercepted it himself. He punted the football into the stands in celebration.

“It was about time we had that,” defensive co-captain Cameron Heyward said. “Week in and week out, we’re getting better. Our communication. Our stunts. Understanding what the offense is trying to do. I think this was really the first game we stopped the run, to an extent. That led to us really teeing off in the pass rush. Whether we got the sack, got the pressure, there was always someone in his face, and he was uncomfortable.”

Elliott’s return from a Week 1 knee injury provided a shot in the arm for a secondary that had to deal with the Vikings’ dynamic duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. In addition to his interception and late PBU, Elliott’s physical presence in the box contributed to an improved performance against the run. The Steelers limited the Vikings to 70 rushing yards and 3.5 yards per carry.

That forced the Vikings into several one-dimensional situations. The Steelers have returned to their Blitzburgh roots this season. They dialed up several blitzes and pressures that flummoxed a Vikings offensive line that was missing a starting guard (Donovan Jackson) and lost its right tackle (Brian O’Neill) and center (Ryan Kelly) during the game. As a result, Wentz and company converted only 4 of 14 third downs.

“We were just playing fast football today,” Watt said. “We knew what we were doing, and we were flying around.”

For individuals, it was also a step forward, especially a pair of third-year Steelers: linebacker Payton Wilson and Benton. Both have been losing playing time but bounced back in noticeable ways. Benton recorded 1.5 sacks. Wilson led the Steelers with 13 tackles. That included a teach-tape, chase-down tackle that will surely be shown in film rooms around the country, on which he raced 81 yards to bring down Addison at the 1-yard line. Minnesota eventually scored, but not until three plays later, and they were forced to burn more than a minute of clock in the process.

“I think we showed how great we can be, but we also showed we’ve got to be more consistent,” Elliott said. “The fact we played 2.5 quarters is not Steelers football. We’ve got to get better. Once we are up, we’ve got to know how to put our foot on people’s necks.”

The Steelers let the Vikings back into the game over the final eight minutes. Part of it had to do with adjustment by the Vikings — they began using more max protections. Part of it had to do with injuries. Versatile DB Jalen Ramsey was in and out of the game with a hamstring issue, cornerback Brandin Echols dealt with cramps, and Darius Slay took a cleat to the shin. As a result, reserves such as James Pierre were thrust into action, straining communication and altering the schematic approach. The Steelers went away from man coverage and played more zone. They brought less pressure and also played different personnel packages, such as a three-safety big nickel.

With 7:50 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Vikings found the end zone for the first time. Wentz capped a nine-play, 70-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Zavier Scott that cut the lead to 24-14. The Steelers then drove to the 1-yard line. With a chance to put the game away, Gainwell was stuffed on fourth-and-goal from the 3.

“We’re prepared to die with our boots on and pursue victory and not live in our fears,” Tomlin said.

Three plays later, a Steelers defense that’s been plagued by communication problems dating to last year lost Addison in coverage, leading to an 81-yard completion. The defensive lapse set up a touchdown with 2:08 remaining that pulled the Vikings within 24-21.

After Tomlin’s aggressive move on fourth-and-goal, he took the opposite approach on the next series. The Steelers faced fourth-and-1 at the Minnesota 40-yard line with 1:08 remaining and opted to punt (after attempting to draw the Vikings offsides with a hard count). Though Tomlin will be criticized by the analytics community all week, it was a choice to put the game in the hands of his defense. If the Steelers are going to fulfill their full potential this year, it won’t be the last time the defense needs to answer the bell in the closing minute.

“I think going forward, this is something we can replicate,” Heyward said. “But it’s got to be done for four quarters.”

(Photo: Charles McQuillan / Getty Images)