Spencer Anderson was a largely anonymous offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers until last Sunday.

Anderson wound up playing more snaps in one game in Ireland than the first three games on American soil combined this season.

The Steelers deployed Anderson as an extra tight end, lining him up next to tight end Darnell Washington for his 19 offensive snaps in a 24-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park in Dublin. Anderson had played just nine snaps all season until getting on the field more frequently for the first NFL regular-season game played in Ireland.

The running game played a significant role in the Steelers' win, as their 29 carries and 131 rushing yards were season highs. Kenneth Gainwell had a career-high 99 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries while filling in for injured running back Jaylen Warren (knee).

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Anderson made a formidable tandem with Washington, who is 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds.

"We saw something with (the Vikings) team that we were like, 'We can go heavier and do that and build off of that,'" offensive line coach Pat Meyer said. "We have a heavy tight end as it is. He's bigger than most of the linemen.

"Spencer did a nice job. He did a nice job last year when he was in there as a starter for the four games he started. He's a big, twitchy, athletic, physical lineman, a kid that's got twitch to him. It was just a way to get him on the field."

Other than those four starts last season and Sunday's increase in snaps, Anderson has mainly been a seldom-used backup. He did not play any offensive snaps as a rookie in 2023 and 28 percent last season.

However, Anderson may have found his niche as a blocking tight end. The Steelers also established a season best last week with their average of 4.5 yards per carry.

Could Anderson continue to get more snaps when the Steelers return from their bye week to host the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 12 at Acrisure Stadium?

"It's something we'll look into each and every week," Meyer told reporters.