The Steelers have a division showdown with the Browns on Sunday, and the passing game is still under a microscope even with Pittsburgh off to a 5-2 start. The offense has flashed, but it hasn’t found a rhythm in the air that it can count on week after week.
That’s why the Rodgers-to-Metcalf connection keeps drawing attention. Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf have shown moments of chemistry, but not enough to make it a steady feature of the offense.
Former Steelers receiver Adam Thielen, who was with Rodgers last season, laid out why he thinks the pairing has not taken off the way people expected.
“What Aaron likes is, he likes to have guys just line up and play football. ‘We’re not gonna move them around, we’re not gonna put them in the slot, we’re not gonna motion them.
We just want to line up and go win.’ DK’s not that guy,” Theilen said, via Blitzburgh.
Thielen expanded on that thought in a longer explanation, saying Metcalf isn’t simply the kind of receiver who can be planted at one spot and asked to win a third-down rep on demand.
“He’s not a guy you just put out there at the X, and it’s 3rd-and-five, and you go win. You’re seeing that on the tape.
He’s looking for him; he wants him, but he’s not open. That’s okay.
Some guys aren’t that guy. You’ve gotta be able to move them around, you’ve gotta be able to put them in stacks, you’ve gotta be able to motion them.
But he’s not that guy right now in this offense.”
Thielen has already offered a window into what it’s like to play with Rodgers. Over the offseason, he described the quarterback as relentless and demanding.
“It’s the most stressed I’ve been in my entire career,” Thielen said of playing with Rodgers. “I felt like I was a rookie again.
You kinda like, I don’t know what he’s gonna say, and I hope I know what he says, cause if I don’t, I’m gonna get my butt chewed and I’m never gonna get the ball. So I better lock in every second of every day, or he’s gonna rip me apart.”
Now Rodgers and Metcalf have to find answers quickly, because the Browns’ defense leans heavily on man coverage. And from Thielen’s view, the issue is pretty clear: Rodgers wants the route won, and he wants Metcalf to win it.
In Other News...
Steelers Face A Brutal AFC North Test That Could Swing Everything
A familiar AFC North grind is back on the schedule, and it comes with the kind of stakes and tension that usually follow these two teams into December. The Steelers and Browns have built a rivalry on tight, physical games, and this one is being framed the same way, with the usual emphasis on field position, turnovers and whichever defense can force the other side into mistakes.
Pittsburgh enters with the edge in most of the preview talk, but only by a sliver, which says plenty about how little room there is for error in this matchup. The panels thinking leans toward the Steelers in a close one, with the outcome expected to hinge on whether their defense can keep Cleveland from turning a rugged divisional game into something more dangerous on the road. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Safety DeShon Elliott Just Returned From An Injury Worse Than Fans Knew
DeShon Elliotts return in Week 7 gave the Steelers a much-needed boost in the secondary, but it also came with a sobering backstory. The safety had been working his way back from a season-ending hamstring injury, and his recovery kept him out of the lineup to start the year while Pittsburgh managed its defensive depth without him.
Elliott described the rehab process as a long one, and his comeback adds another layer to a defense that has had to stay sharp through injuries and turnover. With Lamar Jackson expected back for Baltimore in Week 8 after missing three games with a high-ankle sprain, the AFC North race is only getting more demanding, and Pittsburgh will be leaning on every healthy body it can get. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Playoff Path Suddenly Looks Far Less Brutal Than Expected
The second half of the Steelers 2025 schedule looked daunting when it first came into focus, but the picture has shifted enough to make the path feel less punishing than expected. Matchups that once seemed like clear obstacles now come with more uncertainty, and that matters for a Pittsburgh team trying to stay in the playoff mix while navigating a stretch that still includes several name-brand opponents.
Philadelphia no longer looks quite as imposing without some of the pieces that made it such a difficult draw, Denvers offense has been uneven, and Houston has not defended at the level many expected. Baltimore still brings the usual rivalry edge, but the Ravens have also had to absorb roster changes while leaning heavily on Lamar Jackson, which gives the Steelers a little more reason to believe this late-season run can be manageable if they handle their business. [Read more 🡒]