The Pittsburgh Steelers were stagnant offensively for most of the day, but after the defense got its fifth takeaway of the game, the offense strung together a nine-play, 62-yard drive that capped WR Calvin Austin III capped with a 17-yard touchdown reception on 3rd and 6. Austin’s release allowed him to run right by CB Marcus Jones, and after the Steelers’ 21-14 win, DK Metcalf said it’s the type of play Austin is “built for.”
“Aaron [Rodgers] went to the open guy, he killed the guy off the line of scrimmage, and he was able to catch the touchdown,” Metcalf said via KDKA’s Extra Point show.
Austin said there was “no panic” ahead of the play and that Rodgers gave him a signal to make sure they were on the same page. It was a big connection after Austin was responsible for an end-zone interception last week after he went into scramble rules and tipped a pass intended for Pat Freiermuth.
It was an impressive release by Austin, and it’s the type of play that the Steelers are hoping he can continue to make. His speed is one of his biggest weapons and even going up against a fleet-footed corner like Jones, Austin was able to burn him. It was another good game for Austin after a strong Week 1 and a quiet Week 2, but the Steelers are going to need more consistency out of him. The team needs another receiving option to step up behind DK Metcalf, and so far, Austin has done the best job of doing so.
He finished the game with three catches and 34 yards and a score, which led the team. After some speculation that Rodgers wouldn’t look to Austin much after his mistake last week, he saw five targets. Austin should continue to see plenty of chances to make an impact, and his speed could really be useful for the Steelers going forward. He can be a deep threat, but as he showed today, he can also be a red-zone threat with his ability to blow by defenders.
If Austin can be more consistent, then the Steelers have a receiver who pairs well with Metcalf and someone the team can look to utilize more in the red area. It’s been a pretty solid start to the year for Austin with two touchdowns and 126 yards in three games, and his emergence could be key to jump-starting Pittsburgh’s stagnant offense.
