Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — If it turned out differently, Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf and the Pittsburgh Steelers might’ve been looking at a different game on Sunday night. Instead, the veteran quarterback’s arcing pass was a few feet too long for the hulking receiver to haul in.
On a first-quarter third-and-5 from the Los Angeles Chargers’ 41-yard line, Rodgers launched it Metcalf’s way. Metcalf had at least three, maybe four yards, on Chargers cornerback Elijah Molden. The ball crashed out of reach near the 1-yard line, with the receiver in stride at the 4.
“Missed him by a half-step,” NBC play-by-play man Mike Tirico said on the Sunday Night Football broadcast. “Oh, Aaron’s eyes got wide, saw Metcalf breaking. Just missed.”
On the next play, Chris Boswell nailed a 59-yard field goal, giving the Steelers a momentary 3-0 lead in what wound up a 25-10 loss. Cameras caught a visibly upset Rodgers as Metcalf jogged back, which might confirm what Metcalf said when he revisited the missed opportunity in the locker room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Wednesday.
“I had a corner post and I saw Aaron roll out to the left, so I kinda broke my route a little flatter than I should’ve,” Metcalf said. “I should’ve kept the route high.”
“I was just a little bit off,” Rodgers said after the game. “I missed DK early. Could’ve been a big play. … I missed, obviously, some throws, for sure.”
Roman Wilson scored a touchdown late, but the Steelers’ receivers didn’t have their best night in Southern California.
“First off, I gotta continue to get open,” Metcalf said when asked how he leads the position group. “I can’t say anything if I’m not doing my job first. But then, I really don’t say much to anybody in the receiver room unless they come to me with questions. … These players got here on their own, so they all have a special ability.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: DK Metcalf Takes Blame for Aaron Rodgers’ Overthrow
