Steelers WR D.K. Metcalf racked up a season-high 115 yards in Thursday night's loss to the Browns, leading the team with 9 targets and 5 catches. Metcalf was especially good late in this one, making 22- and 28-yard receptions on Pittsburgh's fourth-quarter TD drive that briefly tied the game at 24. He could have had an even bigger game had QB Aaron Rodgers seen Metcalf streaking wide open up the seam in the first half for what could have been a long score.
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This was a much-needed slump buster for Metcalf after he played horribly over the first 3 games of the season. He caught just 11 of 24 targets in that stretch and was charged with 3 drops.
It looked like vintage Metcalf on Thursday night, though. He made multiple contested catches downfield and even got flagged for taunting in the first quarter. (We take the good with the bad.)
Most importantly, Metcalf has remained the focal point of Pittsburgh's passing game through his struggles. He ran a route on 99% of pass plays and drew a 23% target share over those first 3 games. He registered a 98% route rate and 23% target share against the Browns.
That's more than enough to make Metcalf a weekly WR3 going forward. He gets nice matchups the next 3 weeks vs. the Colts, Buccaneers, and Saints. The Steelers' rest-of-season schedule ranks 14th-easiest for WRs.
