DK Metcalf's Performance Should Concern Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers earned a Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons in spite of a disappointing showing from their offense.

The Steelers closed out the day with just 264 yards on that side of the ball, 221 of which came through the air. As Pittsburgh’s No. 1 wide receiver, DK Metcalf caught four passes from Aaron Rodgers for 40 yards, which ranked third on the team.

What made matters worse, however, were the drops and missed opportunities for chunk plays that Metcalf left on the table. The 28-year-old looked like he was shaking off some rust during the contest, but Pittsburgh needs him to round into form sooner rather than later.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (4) catches a pass in the first quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. The Steelers led 10-6 at halftime. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Metcalf's Mistakes vs. Atlanta

Perhaps the most egregious error on Metcalf's part was a drop on 3rd-and-3 with 20 seconds left in the third quarter.

Rodgers threw into a tight window and found Metcalf over the middle, but he simply couldn't hold onto the ball and dropped it, forcing the Steelers to punt while leading by just three points at 13-10.

T.J. Watt helped bail out Metcalf by recording a pick-six several plays later, but it still didn't reflect upon on the latter.

He also didn't come down with a 50-50 jump ball down the sideline on 4th-and-3 with a little under five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

There were a couple of arguably questionable non-calls on potential pass interference situations by the Falcons against Metcalf, including one in the end zone at the start of the second quarter, but they were still throws he could've potentially come down with.

In total, Metcalf hauled in only 40 percent of his targets, which won't fly long-term, and some of the issues with drops and even a lack of true physicality at the catch point at times is a bit concerning.

Steelers Need Metcalf to Return to Form

The silver lining for Pittsburgh in the season opener was that Michael Pittman Jr. had a productive debut for the team, finishing with 58 receiving yards, while Pat Freiermuth looked like he was back to being himself with 46 yards and a touchdown on five receptions.

If those two guys can consistently act as reliable targets for Rodgers, a good amount of pressure can come off of Metcalf's shoulders and perhaps lead to less attention from opposing defenses in certain situations.

At the same time, the Steelers acquired and extended him for $132 million over four years left offseason with the expectation that he was going to be a bona fide No. 1 option in the passing game.

That hasn't come to fruition quite yet, even if there have been flashes. Metcalf is dynamic and has great size, but he has yet to prove that he's an upper-echelon receiver.

Following his rough outing vs. the Falcons, Pittsburgh has to see more out of him. Metcalf has it in him to go out there and dominate, though that version of himself has rarely been seen with the black and gold up to this point.

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