The Pittsburgh Steelers got a harsh reality check in Week 4, and Michael Pittman Jr. was right in the middle of it.
On Thursday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns, Pittman saw four targets and came away with just two catches for 15 yards. The box score was rough enough on its own.
The film, though, told an even uglier story. After going back through the All-22, the biggest issue was impossible to miss: Pittman had no answer against man coverage.
That’s not exactly a brand-new flaw, but it was glaring on this stage. He couldn’t create any space, couldn’t gain a clean step, and couldn’t give Aaron Rodgers a reliable outlet when the pocket started to tighten. For an offense already struggling to function, that kind of non-production at receiver is a major problem.
The numbers back up what showed up on tape. Through the first month of the season, and pending the rest of the Week 4 games around the league, Pittman sits 70th in target share, 49th in yards after the catch, 95th in average depth of target, 97th in catch percentage, 57th in total EPA, and 107th in yards per route run among NFL receivers, per SumerSports.
The raw production isn’t much prettier. Pittman has caught seven of 12 passes for 89 yards, which works out to 7.4 yards per target.
Rodgers has a 46.9 passer rating when throwing his way. Pro Football Focus has him at 94th among 100 qualifying receivers with a 50.5 overall grade.
That’s a brutal first month for a player who arrived with real name recognition. Pittman was the Colts’ 34th overall pick in 2020 and has posted two 1,000-yard seasons, but right now he’s living off reputation more than results.
And that’s why the Steelers need to make a change.
The snap counts make the situation even harder to justify. Against Cleveland, Pittman was on the field for 51 snaps, while Roman Wilson played 22 and Germie Bernard played 28. Over the season, Pittman has averaged 51.6 snaps per game, compared with 34.5 for Wilson and 25.7 for Bernard.
That usage needs to flip.
In 12 personnel, Wilson should be the receiver opposite Metcalf. He’s had his ups and downs, but he’s the only Steelers wideout who has shown he can consistently separate from man coverage. In 11 personnel, Bernard should be the one getting the nod instead of Pittman.
The Steelers don’t need to pretend this is a perfect receiver room. They just need to stop forcing the ball to a player who isn’t winning his matchups. At this point, Pittman looks like another familiar name on a list the Steelers would probably rather not keep growing.
In Other News...
Steelers Defense Just Took A Brutal Hit Against The Browns
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Harmons exit leaves the Steelers with a bigger problem than just one missing body in the middle. His presence matters in both the run game and the pass rush, and Pittsburgh now has to adjust on the fly while trying to keep Cleveland from controlling the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Rodgers Just Complicated One Steelers Blame Game
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For a Pittsburgh offense still trying to sort through what went wrong in a tight, late-game sequence, that matters. The ball ending up with Warren does not automatically tell the full story of the design, and Rodgers explanation points to the kind of breakdown that can involve more than one player and more than one decision. In a game that already invited blame, the more interesting question may be how much of that play was about execution, and how much was about the pressure closing in around it. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Already Have A Rodgers-McCarthy Sideline Problem
The Steelers got a little reminder in Week 4 that bringing familiar faces together does not always mean smooth sailing. During Thursday nights game against the Browns, Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy were caught in a heated sideline exchange after Rodgers grew frustrated over a delayed play call, and McCarthy fired back with a profane retort.
For Pittsburgh, it was the kind of moment that can linger because of how much history is wrapped into it. Rodgers and McCarthy won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay before reuniting in Pittsburgh, so the chemistry was never going to be a mystery, but neither was the possibility of old competitive habits resurfacing when the pressure ratchets up. Fans who were hoping for a clean reunion got a glimpse of something a lot messier, and it will be worth watching how that dynamic plays out moving forward. [Read more 🡒]