Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — DK Metcalf made it sound so blasé.
“It was just football,” the Pittsburgh Steelers’ star receiver said about his touchdown reception during a 28-15 win over the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.
Nice try. The 28-yard catch-and-run was more akin to the plows that shoved aside snow in Pittsburgh the two days before.
The hyperbole, to be clear, is completely warranted.
From the left slot with 5:06 to go in the third quarter, Metcalf ran a post on third-and-11, turning his back to the end zone to pin Aaron Rodgers’ on-the-money fastball to his chest. As Metcalf backpedaled and began to correct his course, former Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, a three-time first-team Associated Press All-Pro, tried to latch on.
In one motion, Metcalf brushed Fitzpatrick halfway to the parking lots and squared his shoulders to the newly-painted gold end zone ahead of him. With 14 yards to go, he shook Dolphins safety Dante Trader Jr., who’d broken down three yards away but couldn’t even slap Metcalf’s ankles when he dove for them.
Before Metcalf could blink, he maneuvered around fellow wideout Calvin Austin III, who raced in to take care of a recovered Fitzpatrick. At the 6-yard line, linebacker Jordyn Brooks closed in, only for Metcalf to punch his palm into his chest and boost himself past the goal line.
DK Metcalf just tossed Minkah Fitzpatrick aside and scored a TD 😱
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 16, 2025
“He just little-boyed the guy,” Austin said.
It’s possible Austin wasn’t aware of who that guy was. Fitzpatrick was one of the most respected leaders around these parts until he was shipped to Miami this past offseason. Steelers tight end Connor Heyward offered a reminder as to the caliber of player Fitzpatrick is, labeling him “a Hall of Famer-type guy.”
Metcalf is an outlier all his own, though.
“If you just look at DK, I don’t think him throwing anybody around would surprise anyone,” Austin said.
“Grown-ass man,” Heyward said. “We’ve seen him make crazy plays every day at practice. But obviously, at practice, he can’t throw guys. When he gets the ball, he turns into a running back. It’s like going to tackle Darnell (Washington). They’re bigger guys, but also extremely fast for their size.”
Steelers mainstay defensive lineman Cam Heyward, Connor’s older brother, saw Metcalf playing “mad.”
“You’d better get out of his way,” the elder Heyward said.
Another Steelers tight end, Jonnu Smith, saw Metcalf transform mid-play.
“Unbelievable, man,” Smith said. “That’s why his contract is what it is. A guy being able to make that play, not a lot of receivers that I’ve been around could make that play. As soon as he (caught) that ball, he basically became a Pro Bowl running back. … That thing just came right on time and gave us the momentum push that we needed.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Playing Mad: DK Metcalf Dominates Dolphins with Maniacal Dash
