Metcalf's altercation in Detroit has opened a hole that Pittsburgh can’t fill.
If this week is the end for Aaron Rodgers, it will be hard to ignore that this was the exact chess gambit the Pittsburgh Steelers chose to execute last March.
In an effort to purposefully move on from wideout George Pickens — a talented-but-mercurial wideout whom Pittsburgh leadership had stopped counting upon — the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf and promptly secured him in place with a four-year, $132 million extension. The commitment and aim at the time was unmistakable: With sweeping change coming at quarterback, the Steelers would finally have an elite No. 1 receiver whose astounding talent would be matched by accountability and availability.
More than eight months later, the maneuver has collapsed on itself. And Sunday, it may bury the final snaps of Aaron Rodgers’ career along with it.
For all intents and purposes, that is what is on the line when the Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. Barring a change of heart since June, when Rodgers told “The Pat McAfee Show” he was “pretty sure” 2025 would be his final season, this week in Steelers history carries the weight of an AFC North crown and a playoff berth — alongside the potential bookend to a first-ballot Hall of Fame career.
And because of that, it’s hard to get away from the reality that a loss to Baltimore would frame Pittsburgh’s fall as being the last domino in a chain reaction that began when Metcalf struck a fan during the Steelers’ Week 16 win over the Detroit Lions. The altercation resulted in Metcalf’s suspension for the final two games of the season, effectively removing the star wideout who was acquired to be the reliable cornerstone that Pickens wasn’t.
There will be pains taken by the team to avoid making this all about Metcalf, of course. Even in the wake of an embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Browns that has pushed the Steelers to the brink of elimination, fingers have been pointed in all manner of directions. Pittsburgh’s secondary is hobbled. The defense has continued to feel the absence of edge rusher T.J. Watt. Tight end Darnell Washington was lost against Cleveland to a broken arm and Calvin Austin III sat out with a hamstring injury. Head coach Mike Tomlin made some conservative fourth-down decisions in the fourth quarter and the offense was accused of being overly preoccupied with keeping Browns defensive end Myles Garrett from setting the single-season sack record.
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There’s merit to some of those arguments, maybe even all of them. But what is absolutely inarguable is that Pittsburgh’s offense missed Metcalf’s presence more than any other player, particularly in the final moments of the 13-6 loss, when Rodgers ended a potential game-winning drive by throwing at Marquez Valdes-Scantling three straight times from Cleveland’s 7-yard line. All three were incompletions. If Metcalf had not been suspended, it’s likely all three of those throws go in his direction. And on the final throw, when it appeared Valdes-Scantling had possibly drawn a pass interference penalty that wasn’t called, it’s likely a player of Metcalf’s stature would have drawn the flag.
This is what Metcalf’s absence represents. His altercation in Detroit has opened a hole that Pittsburgh can’t fill.
And now? Well, now the Steelers face the Ravens in the type of everything game that exists to seize upon the aggressive moves made in March. This is the moment that drove the Steelers to abandon Pickens and reach for Metcalf. This is what you trade draft picks and money for — to bring the star to the table and watch him eat. That’s exactly what Metcalf did in Week 14 against the Ravens, when his 7 catches for 148 yards provided the Steelers’ offense an engine that powered Rodgers’ most effective downfield passing game of this entire season. That included two explosives, via 52 and 41 yard receptions, that haven’t been seen often this season.
Lest anyone forget, that 27-22 win over the Ravens awakened a 6-6 Steelers team that had fans chanting for Tomlin’s job only one week earlier. It was the propellant for a three-game winning streak that put Pittsburgh back into the driver’s seat of the AFC North and had the team swaggering off the field following a 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions. Only to be undone by a terrible decision by Metcalf that may end up being more damaging to the franchise than any mistake Pickens ever committed during his 50 games as a Steeler.
Now offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is grappling with that reality this week, as he absorbs a Cleveland loss that is suggestive that Pittsburgh’s other offensive pieces are simply not good enough to collectively make up for Metcalf’s absence. That leaves him to find another way to creatively turn the key on the offense that doesn’t suddenly render it into a run-heavy attack with a parade of check-downs in the passing game, all in the hopes that the defense can create enough short fields or turnover opportunities to score more than the 6 measly points put up against the Browns.
Turning back the clock to the offseason when so much of what the Steelers did was predicated on putting all their chips on one season of Rodgers, it’s an almost unfathomable position to be in. But this is where Pittsburgh finds itself, while also having to contemplate that what happens Sunday night might be the final curtain for Tomlin, the coaching staff and possibly some elements of the front office. Not to mention the quarterback, who was pursued to bring it all together before a suspension pulled it all apart.
This week, Tomlin was asked if he’d thought about Sunday potentially being the last game in Rodgers’ career.
“I don’t know that I’ve taken time to ponder that,” Tomlin replied. “I’m just committed to making sure that it’s not.”
That commitment started in March, when the Steelers traded for Metcalf. Eight months later, it may end up being remembered as the defining decision that was the beginning of the end of Rodgers’ final NFL season, and this era of Steelers that might go out the door with him.
Category: General Sports
