The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had WR George Pickens in their last two games, but that’s brought an opportunity for TE Pat Freiermuth, who has seized it. Over his last three games, Freiermuth has 12 receptions for 138 yards and three touchdowns, and QB Russell Wilson said Freiermuth is “on fire.”
“He’s just making plays for us. He wants me to say it again. Pat Freiermuth is on fire. I think he’s done a great job of making plays. I think that trust and that extra work we’ve been spending too,” Wilson said via transcript provided by the team. “You know, he’s one of the reasons why I was excited to come here just because of what he is capable of. He’s continuing to rise in a great way.”
Freiermuth was expected to function as Pittsburgh’s de facto No. 2 receiver heading into the year, and while he was reliable in the early going, he wasn’t consistently getting the ball. The Steelers have expanded their passing game under Wilson though, especially in recent weeks, working underneath more and not being as reliant on the deep ball. That’s opened things up for Freiermuth to get going.
It’s the right time for Freiermuth to start heating up, as the Steelers look to ready themselves for the postseason after clinching a berth on Sunday. When Pickens returns, Freiermuth can really slide into that No. 2 role, and in the last game in which Pickens was healthy, Freiermuth had six receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. For an offense that’s had questions at the receiver position behind Pickens all year, Freiermuth’s emergence gives the Steelers someone they can continue to rely on now when they need him the most.
As a whole, the receivers have continued to progress, with Calvin Austin III becoming more of a consistent contributor through the air, and the Steelers can layer their passing game to make it more difficult to stop. They need to work on balancing their offense more, especially after a poor showing on Sunday against the Eagles, but it’s a tough group to stop when the Steelers are fully healthy. Clicking on all cylinders and having Freiermuth become a more consistent contributor gives Pittsburgh another weapon.
Saturday will be a big opportunity for Freiermuth to continue his hot streak with Pickens’ status still in question. Pittsburgh might need him to extend his touchdown streak to four games to beat the Ravens and clinch the AFC North in a game that will be Freiermuth’s first for the division title since being drafted.
