Steelers' Adam Thielen says he got his love for football back on Sunday

Thielen only had one catch in his Pittsburgh debut, but he played more snaps than he had in a while.

Dec 7, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Adam Thielen (16) makes a catch against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium. | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Adam Thielen said he got his love for football back after making his Pittsburgh Steelers debut on Sunday in a critical win over the Ravens.

"It was crazy," Thielen said. "It's been a wild week. I found my love for the game back, just being out there playing the game I love ... just thankful to be out there and thrown into a huge game and rivalry."

It was quite the week for Thielen. Last Sunday, he was a healthy scratch with the Vikings, who he had re-joined in a trade just before this season. On Monday, it was announced that Minnesota had granted Thielen's request to be released so he could pursue another opportunity elsewhere in what might be the final month-plus of his NFL career.

Thielen was waived and claimed by the Steelers. He immediately dove into learning their playbook and getting up to speed, and not only was he active on Sunday in Baltimore, he wound up getting the start and playing 25 offensive snaps. That was the most playing time he had seen since Week 3 with Minnesota, prior to Jordan Addison returning from his suspension.

On the stat sheet, Thielen had just one catch for four yards, so it wasn't a departure from his season norms in that sense. But he got his wish in terms of playing time, which might only increase moving forward. And he got to be part of a massive upset win that puts the Steelers in the driver's seat in the AFC North with four weeks left in the regular season.

Thielen's one grab from Aaron Rodgers came in the red zone in the second quarter. A few plays later, he was the first one to greet running back Kenneth Gainwell in the end zone after a touchdown. Thielen also appeared to be open and targeted for a chunk gain in the fourth quarter, but Rodgers' pass was batted at the line of scrimmage.

Looks like Rodgers had Thielen dialed up for a big seam chunk over the middle on the throw that got tipped up into the year & was nearly picked.

People would probably view Thielen’s performance a lot differently if this didn’t get tipped. This would have been huge up 5 with 7… pic.twitter.com/935IvEJxn7

— Jack Sperry (@jack_sperry) December 8, 2025

The Steelers put together a strong offensive day on the whole, led by 148 receiving yards from DK Metcalf. Rodgers said before the game that it was their best week of practice this season, and he believes the professionalism from Thielen and fellow veteran addition Marques Valdez-Scantling contributed to that.

Next up for the Steelers is a Monday night game against the Dolphins. With extra time to prepare, Thielen could see an even larger role in that primetime contest, which will be another huge game for Pittsburgh's playoff hopes.