Blink and you might have missed DK Metcalf’s contributions for the Steelers on Sunday—and Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t want that happening again. Metcalf only saw four targets against the Colts, catching two passes for six yards. He did have a drop, but Roethlisberger insisted that would not deter him—especially in the red zone.
The discussion developed on Roethlisberger’s Footbahlin podcast in regard to the Steelers’ early failed drive on which Aaron Rodgers threw to TE Darnell Washington incomplete on fourth down at the goal line. While Rodgers made the necessary throw that Washington wasn’t ready for, Roethlisberger thinks the ball should have done to Metcalf.
“If you want to throw it, then throw it to your monster down there”, he said, referring to Metcalf. “And there’s nothing against Darnell Washington. But Aaron [Rodgers]’ feeding him a lot”. He added that he would be “Slamming the ball to DK. All day. All day”.
The Steelers traded for DK Metcalf early this offseason to be their undisputed No. 1 WR. He has been, but he is also not overwhelming with gaudy numbers. Through eight games, he has 29 catches on 47 targets for 467 yards. The big selling point is, of course, his five touchdowns, most coming in the red zone. Including two touchdowns from the 2-yard line, and Sunday should have been another.
“They ran a double slant route, and I was screaming on the snap, ‘DK!’”, Roethlisberger said, watching Metcalf on the play in question. “And he puts it on [Washington]. DK’s expecting that ball. Mount Washington wasn’t expecting the ball. You saw it hit him right in the chest. It was a great throw”.
“You know [Metcalf]’s ready for it. And he won on the inside slant. Shorter, quicker throw”, he insisted. And he also insisted that Metcalf’s drop wouldn’t have fazed him, either. Roethlisberger’s history as a player does back that up. “The plays he makes make up for it” he explained.
DK Metcalf is seeing nearly career lows in yards per game with the Steelers, the six-yard effort on Sunday obviously cutting into that. He is also seeing, by far after his rookie year, the fewest targets per game of his career. Right now, he is on pace to see just 100 targets, catching 62 for 993 yards. But he is also on pace for 10-11 touchdowns, which isn’t a bad trade-off.
Still, Metcalf is the type of player to whom you feed the ball. The Steelers are not doing that. He has only seen seven or more targets in a game three times and has yet to see 10. And there really isn’t any indication that that will change this season. But it works more often than it doesn’t, so why fix what isn’t broken?