Both Aaron Rodger and DK Metcalf have some personal business at the start of their Steelers careers, Pittsburgh playing their former teams in the first two weeks. In the season opener, they played the New York Jets, who cut Rodgers this offseason. Now they’re preparing for the Seahawks, who traded Metcalf to the Steelers after six seasons.
While Rodgers downplayed the significance of playing the Jets, he seemed to give a little more after the game. Though couched in a joy of beating any team, he did say he was “happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets”. Will Metcalf share a similar sentiment if the Steelers beat the Seahawks on Sunday?
“I haven’t talked to him about it whatsoever”, HC Mike Tomlin said about Metcalf facing his former team, via the Steelers’ website. “But common sense would tell you that it certainly does [mean more to him]. They drafted him, he played there a number of years. Whether he will acknowledge it is up to him”.
A second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, DK Metcalf is a two-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro. In six seasons in Seattle, he caught 438 passes for 6,324 yards and 48 touchdowns. Last season, he posted a career-low five touchdowns, but also dealt with injuries. On Sunday in his steelers debut, Metcalf caught four passes for 83 yards.
Notably, Metcalf produced 68 yards after the catch on his four receptions, particularly on two. On both occasions, he forced his way around an early would-be tackler, using his size and speed. According to Pro Football Reference, it’s the most yards after the catch he’s ever recorded in a single game. But it was also the sixth time in his career he produced at least 50 YAC in a game. That’s not easy to do when you’re typically a deep-ball targets and much of your yardage is in the air.
With the Steelers, however, DK Metcalf could see more slants and catch-and-run opportunities than he had with the Seahawks. And there is every reason to believe he can do that, with Sunday’s game offering proof of concept. With his 6-4, 220-plus-pound frame, he looked like a man among boys. And that’s even before he showed the speed to turn the corner on them.
But it remains to be seen if Metcalf will be the dominant target with the Steelers or if he will share the limelight, as he did with the Seahawks and Tyler Lockett. In the opener, Calvin Austin III also managed six targets, for example. And there’s still plenty of meat on the bone for the tight ends. Pittsburgh only ran 55 plays of offense, losing the time of possession battle.
I’m sure DK Metcalf would love to put up 200 yards on the Seahawks. But most of all, he would love to beat them, and that will be his focus. They have a strong secondary, but the Jets aren’t bad, either. They had Sauce Gardner shadow him all game. With Devon Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen, the Seahawks wouldn’t even need to do that with Metcalf.
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