Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown blasted DK Metcalf for his crucial drop in the first quarter of Monday night’s Wild Card game against the Houston Texans.
Aaron Rodgers hit Metcalf in stride but the veteran receiver was unable to haul it in. Instead of a big gain, the offense ended up going three-and-out, squandering Jack Sawyer’s strip sack on C.J. Stroud that resulted in a Yahya Black recovery.
On the ensuing drive after Metcalf’s drop, the Texans went on a 14-play, 92-yard touchdown drive to take a 7-3 lead. The drive took 7:01 off the clock.
“DK WTF,” Brown wrote on X with an angry red face emoji.
DK WTF 🤬
— AB (@AB84) January 13, 2026
The Steelers went three-and-out on the following series after Metcalf’s drop. The offense also failed to score a touchdown in the red zone after Keeanu Benton’s strip sack and recovery.
The offense scored just three points off the two turnovers.
Oh no… DK Metcalf drops a beautiful pass from Aaron Rodgers #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ztkSqV00ur
— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhifer) January 13, 2026
Metcalf was suspended for the final two games of the regular season due to getting into an altercation with a fan during the Detroit game. Arthur Smith and Aaron Rodgers were forced to change the way they attacked the passing game. At first, it didn’t necessarily go well.
Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17, Marquez Valdes-Scantling was targeted nine times and caught three for 21 yards, Adam Thielen was targeted five times and caught two for 14 yards, and the entire Steelers’ passing offense plummeted, with Rodgers throwing for just 168 yards.
Things turned around against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18, though. Rodgers had his biggest passing game of the season with 294 yards, and Thielen (three catches for 43 yards) and MVS (five catches for 34 yards) were big parts of it. Despite the lack of Metcalf, Smith and Rodgers found their answers in the passing game.
Metcalf returning to the lineup was supposed to provide a boost for the Steelers’ offense, but he failed to deliver with that crucial drop in the first half.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Antonio Brown Blasts DK Metcalf for Crucial Drop
