Fans make (extra) loud return, 'amazing' impact

Bill Letrent's been making the two-hour Turnpike trek from Bedford for every Steelers home game for nearly 20 years. He's a season-ticket holder, a lifer.

On this Sunday, he was finally home.

"It's weird, having this few people here," he was saying before the 38-29 victory over the Eagles. "Even the ride over on the subway, there was just a few of us on the car. Downtown was as quiet as it would be on a regular Sunday, not like a Steelers Sunday. But hey, here we are."

Here they were. Letrent and his daughter were among an official attendance of 4,708, approaching the expanded limit of roughly 5,000 set earlier in the week by Gov. Tom Wolf for this, the first major sporting event in the commonwealth allowing fans, coincidentally occurring between both of its NFL franchises. Technically, the limit was 7,500, but complications arose that lowered the figure.

All fans were confined to the stadium's lower bowls but visibly spread within their respective sections., but stickers were placed on the cement throughout the facility urging social distancing, and lines at security, concessions and rest rooms were sparse. Otherwise, once inside, it was just another day at the football game. The Eagles were booed upon emerging from the visitors' tunnel. Ben Roethlisberger was cheered after winning the coin flip, then waved to the fans. There were chants of 'Here we go, Steelers, here we go!' from the outset. And of course, there was adulation galore for Chase Claypool through his four-touchdown excellence.

"You try to do a little extra," Letrent said. "We're lucky to be here, and we've got to step up our game, too."

That can't be mimicked by any machine.

"Oh, man, it was amazing," Vince Williams said of the crowd. "It felt like there were 62,000 people in there. I can't even lie to you, the difference that it made today. Even if it's 5,000, Steelers Nation showed up. I'm proud of them. That's the way you guys come back. First day back, and you made an impact."

"It helped tremendously, man," Steven Nelson said. "The energy that our fan base brings, it does something to us as players. We definitely appreciated their support."

One thing missing: Styx's 'Renegade' was never played, though it can't be known if that was because of game circumstances or if the team's waiting for more fans to be allowed inside.

Another thing missing: Some players also expressed appreciation for being able to have family and friends attend, though not all could: Claypool's family, for example, is all in Canada, and that international border remains closed.

Before the game, Mike Tomlin momentarily addressed the online community Steelers Nation Unite, who couldn't attend but would be watching virtually:

Outside the stadium, the scene was subdued beyond recognition. Tailgating was strictly forbidden in all stadium lots, which were sparsely filled. Some fans stopped at North Shore restaurants and bars, but nowhere near the usual volume. Masks appeared to be getting worn most everywhere.

The Steelers and Eagles are both appealing to Gov. Wolf to expand the capacity restrictions, while also sounding all the requisite safety priorities. But the current restrictions are expected to remain at least through the rest of this month.