Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf leads all NFL wide receivers in yards after the catch this season with 199, according to Next Gen Stats. Metcalf said last week that he watched a lot of Cooper Kupp to work on his YAC game.
Against the New York Jets in Week 1, Metcalf had a 31-yard catch and run that was virtually all created on his own accord. On that play, he hit 21.25 MPH, the sixth-fastest time of any ball carrier this season, per Next Gen Stats.
Last Sunday in the Steelers’ win over the Minnesota Vikings, Metcalf caught a 22-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers and went the distance for an 80-yard touchdown.
RODGERS TO METCALF. 80 YARD TOUCHDOWN.
MINvsPIT on @nflnetwork
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Y4jelTbNJ1— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
Over the first three weeks of the season, Metcalf was averaging just 45 receiving yards per game. He was averaging career lows in yards per game and average depth of target.
“That’s just for the outside people, the outside noise. I don’t really pay attention to the media. Opinions are like assholes, everyone’s got one,” Metcalf told reporters last Friday in Ireland.
Metcalf certainly silenced the critics with his breakout performance against Minnesota, catching five passes for 126 yards (25.2 average) and a touchdown.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin raved about Metcalf’s big day in Dublin.
“I think getting him the ball is always our agenda,” Tomlin said. “Sometimes, it’s controlled by other things. In previous weeks, we weren’t getting off the way we would like on third downs, so it minimizes offensive possessions. We weren’t winning possession downs. These are complex discussions. They don’t happen in a vacuum.
“We didn’t go get DK not to get him the ball. And so today was a reflection of our intentions, but that’s been our intention every week.”
Metcalf entered the matchup having caught 10 balls for 135 yards and two touchdowns, both red zone floaters from Rodgers.
“Coverage dictated that,” Rodgers said of Metcalf getting involved early. “We moved him around pretty good, had some good motions to get him off some doubles and it was just coverage. He had single (coverage) on the back shoulder fade. He had Cover 2, but we had nice play action and that’s what DK does best. He can really run and it was nice to get him going early.”
Rodgers added that he was able to connect more often with Metcalf because of the threat Kenneth Gainwell provided on the ground. Usually the Steelers’ backup tailback, Gainwell stepped up in place of the injured Jaylen Warren to rush for 99 yards and two scores.
“There’s been so much talk about, ‘How can we get DK more involved? How can we push the ball down the field more?’” Rodgers said. “And I said last week, ‘You’ve gotta run the football.’ And I think today we ran the ball pretty effectively.”
This article originally appeared on [Steelers...
