For the second time in as many weeks, the Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth caught a TD pass touchdown from Russell Wilson. This is his second time catching a touchdown in consecutive games this year, having previously done so with Justin Fields. He also did it twicewith Ben Roethlisberger back during his rookie season. While it’s impressive that he has done it with three different quarterbacks, his latest shows the work behind it.
Wilson found Freiermuth for the touchdown on 2nd and 10 at the 20-yard line—just inside the red zone. As the Steelers QB told it, they had tweaked the play late last week. Although he didn’t get into specifics, he acknowledged conversations during the week with OC Arthur Smith working their magic.
“Pat [Freiermuth] did a great job running up the seam. We had a little bit different concept earlier in the week and we just adjusted it later in the week”, Wilson said, via the Steelers’ website. “It was like, ‘Hey man, if he runs that seam, he may be wide open’. We talked about that—those little Friday meetings help. We’re always working, always trying to find ways to score”.
On the play, Freiermuth aligned off right tackle in a two-point stance. With WR Calvin Austin III motioning pre-snap and Ben Skowronek following on out-breaking routes, Freiermuth slipped inside up the seam in one-on-one coverage with S Grant Delpit. By the time Wilson released the ball, help was too late. Freiermuth wasn’t even quite out of his break by the time Wilson let it go.
“We had the out route to the left and Pat did such a good job in man-to-man”, Wilson said. “He does a really good job of isolating guys. He widened the guy and ended up catching the touchdown there. That was a good job on the line”.
That touchdown, Freiermuth’s fifth of the season and easily the second-most of his career, was a key moment. It gave the Steelers a 27-7 lead, a substantial cushion with nearly 20 minutes left in the game. The play also gave Freiermuth the opportunity to show off his punting leg, which is cool, I guess.
Over the past three games, Freiermuth has 13 receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns. It is his most productive stretch by some margin in a while with the Steelers. Minus his 120-yard game last season, he hasn’t had many big receiving moments in recent memory.
But it appears that he and Russell Wilson are starting to hit on a rhythm, and just in time. Wilson obviously missed the first six games, but he now has a rapport with his top targets. That includes not just Pat Freiermuth and George Pickens, but also Calvin Austin III and his running backs. He has also been finding Van Jefferson, who caught his second touchdown pass of the year. Russ is cooking, and that is letting everyone else eat better.
