The Pittsburgh Steelers posted their worst offensive performance of the season in a disappointing 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night.
Pittsburgh began the scoring with a first-quarter
first goal, but didn’t score its lone touchdown until the final three minutes with the game out of reach. DK Metcalf led the Steelers with three catches for 35 yards. He did not reach the end zone. Defenses have paid specific attention to Metcalf and have succeeded in multiple games to take him out of the fold.
Mike Tomlin believes that other wide receivers and tight ends have stepped up to fill the void, but the loss to the Chargers wasn’t one of them.
“At times, we certainly have,” Tomlin said in his weekly press conference. “But last week was an example of us not doing so.”
Roman Wilson tied Metcalf with 35 yards and the lone touchdown from Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers only threw for 161 yards, and the lack of a No. 2 wide receiver following the trade deadline is obvious.
“In other weeks, it certainly has been the case [that guys have stepped up],” Tomlin said. “Each and every week it seems like somebody, whether it’s from the wide out room or the tight end room, steps up and has quality contributions that balance that out.”
Metcalf leads the Steelers with 502 receiving yards. The next closest is Pat Freiermuth (260), who has totaled 13 or fewer yards in three of the Steelers’ eight games.
Roman Wilson has come on with a touchdown in two of the last three games, but still isn’t developing quickly enough for a third-round pick. Calvin Austin III has shown flashes, but is still not a dependable No. 2 option.
The Steelers decided not to trade for a receiver before the clock struck 4 p.m. Tuesday for their opportunity to do so, leaving them with their current core intact to take the pressure off Metcalf and fix their glaring issue in the passing game.
The Steelers will need to even the season series with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday to avoid falling to 5-5 on the year and to remain in first place in the AFC North.
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