Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers believe they’ll have a better plan in place to replace wide receiver DK Metcalf against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for a must-win game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18, but they are doing so without No. 1 wide receiver DK Metcalf and rising star tight end Darnell Washington. Head coach Mike Tomlin is confident in the team’s depth to get the job done, though.
Fans are right to question that confidence after wide receivers Scotty Miller, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen combined for just eight catches for 60 yards on 21 targets last week against the Cleveland Browns. However, Tomlin believes the extra week of preparation will help.
“If they give us 1-on-1 play-making opportunities, we’ve got to make those plays,” Tomlin said. “We’ve gotta put guys in position to do so. We’ve got very capable men. Oftentimes, I say there’s a fine line between being a Pro Bowler and a backup. We’re at the top of the food chain in terms of the football worlds, so it’s a reasonable expectation, from my perspective, particularly with an additional week to prepare, that we put together a thoughtful plan and that we our guys to take advantage of our opportunities, and if and when they do present themselves, that we make the plays.”
Metcalf, who leads the team with 850 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns on 59 catches, is serving a two-game suspension for his altercation with a Detroit Lions fan at Ford Field in Week 16.
If the Steelers can defeat the Ravens in the regular season finale, Metcalf will be able to return for the playoffs, but that remains a big if following the group’s underwhelming performance a week ago.
Then there’s the difficult task of replacing the 6-foot-7, 311-pound tight end in Washington. The former third-round pick hasn’t lit up the stat sheet with 31 catches for 364 yards and one touchdown on the season, but he has proven to be a difference maker with the ball in his hands as well as a significant piece to Pittsburgh’s rush attack.
However, Tomlin reiterated a similar sentiment to replacing Washington’s production as he did to Metcalf.
“We use a lot of tight ends,” Tomlin continued. “We also use guys at the position that don’t play the position, Spencer Anderson, and so we have a lot of options at our disposal relative to that, from a strategy perspective. Certainly, given six or seven days to prepare, I don’t think it’ll be a strategic issue in terms of replacing his efforts.”
Washington is out for the season after suffering a broken arm against the Browns in Week 17.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mike Tomlin Reveals Steelers’ Plan to Replace DK Metcalf, Darnell Washington
