DK Metcalf walked into his matchup talking like the man the Steelers paid to be their WR1. He walked out with three catches, 12 yards, and another reminder that words don’t move the chains.
Ahead of Pittsburgh’s meeting with Sauce Gardner, Metcalf made it clear he wasn’t sweating the cornerback across from him. “I don’t worry about what a DB does well.
They have to guard me,” Metcalf told reporters. The confidence was loud.
The production was not.
In the Steelers’ 34-22 win, Lou Anarumo’s defense kept Metcalf in check all afternoon. He finished with three receptions on four targets for 12 receiving yards, a quiet line for a player carrying a $132 million contract extension and the pressure that comes with it.
That’s been the uncomfortable theme early on. Through this season, the former second-round pick in 2019 has 225 receiving yards and one touchdown.
That total puts him right alongside Jaylin Noel, who has 227 yards, and Romeo Doubs, with 219. For Pittsburgh’s lead receiver, that’s not where anyone expected him to be.
There has been at least one sign of life. In Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns, Metcalf put together a far better outing, catching five passes for 115 yards. It was the kind of game the Steelers have been waiting for, and the kind that makes you wonder whether the slower start is just that - a start.
For now, Pittsburgh has been getting enough from other spots to keep moving. Aaron Rodgers found other targets in the win, and Jaylen Warren actually leads the Steelers in receiving with 230 yards.
That says plenty about how the offense has had to function. Metcalf is only five yards behind him at 225, but this wasn’t supposed to be a by-necessity setup.
The supporting cast has done its part, too. Germie Bernard continues to earn Rodgers’ trust, and on Sunday the rookie delivered six catches for 80 yards. He helped keep the offense on schedule, move the sticks, and stretch the field when Metcalf wasn’t the centerpiece.
That’s why the Steelers were able to leave with a win. But the bigger picture still hangs over Metcalf. Pittsburgh invested heavily in him for games like this - not for empty bravado followed by a disappearing act.
Cold streaks happen. They don’t last forever. Metcalf has the talent to become a regular factor as the season goes on, and the Steelers will need that version of him sooner rather than later, especially if he plans to keep talking before Sundays.
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