The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense came to life on Sunday in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. They gained 421 yards of total offense to break the streak of games without 400 or more yards, and a lot of that success had to do with the utilization of tight ends. Entering Week 12, the Steelers had just 228 receiving yards by tight ends through 10 games played. In the first game with a new offensive coordinator, the tight ends combined for 141 receiving yards, 108 in the first half alone.
TE Pat Freiermuth led the way with 120 yards on nine receptions, his first game with over 100 yards in his career. On the first play of the game, QB Kenny Pickett connected with Freiermuth for 24 yards up the middle of the field, a sign of things to come. A hamstring injury had kept Freiermuth out for five games earlier in the season, so this was just his second game back off IR. It’s no coincidence that the middle of the field was utilized more with the team’s top tight end back from injury.
For his efforts against the Bengals, Freiermuth received the highest tight end grade of the week from Pro Football Focus. His 93.5 overall grade was powered by a 93.5 receiving grade, both of which topped the league this week. This is the second time Freiermuth has received a grade over 90.0 from PFF. The only other time was during the 2022 season in Week 13 against the Atlanta Falcons when he had three receptions for 76 yards.
Here is a list of the top graded Steelers posted on the PFF Steelers page from the win over the Bengals with Freiermuth leading the way.
Freiermuth is in the third year of his career, which is a critical season for his future. The Steelers typically extend players with one season remaining on the contract, which would have Freiermuth due for a payday this offseason. The injury that cost him five games was a setback, but a strong finish to the season would give him and his agent plenty of ammunition when it comes time for negotiations.
