As we do every week to prepare you for the upcoming game, we give you our X-factor of the week. Sometimes it’s a player, unit, concept, or scheme. Here’s our Pittsburgh Steelers X-factor for the game against the Cleveland Browns.
STEELERS VS BROWNS X FACTOR: WR DK METCALF
The first major move the Steelers made this past offseason was to trade for DK Metcalf, one of the consensus top receivers in the league. So far, it’s been a weird start to the season for him. Looking at his stats, things are solid. Especially after his terrific catch-and-run against the Minnesota Vikings back in Dublin nearly two weeks ago.
However, his stats have been all over the place this season, as has his usage. And without that 80-yard touchdown, things look a lot different. Without that long score, Metcalf has just 181 receiving yards on the year, which comes out to an average of just 45.2 per game. He’s currently averaging a career-high 17.4 yards per reception on his 15 catches. But if you were to take away that 80-yarder, he has just those 181 yards on 14 catches, an average of 12.9 per reception.
Obviously, that’s a “what if,” and he should get all the credit he deserves from that massive play. But that long play does inflate his numbers a bit. Without that score, he would only have one game this year with more than 50 receiving yards.
If that all sounds confusing, it’s because it is. The Steelers are still 3-1, so it’s not a massive problem. But Pittsburgh would like to get DK Metcalf involved more often, and they’d probably like to use him in more than just the short passing game.
Against the Browns this weekend, the matchup doesn’t get much easier. Cleveland did trade away Greg Newsome II this week, so the secondary looks a little different. This is still a talented, aggressive defense the Steelers are facing, though. They play a lot of man coverage and aren’t afraid to press. For Metcalf, that’s not a big problem.
What is a problem is the lack of production from the rest of the receivers. Calvin Austin III will miss Sunday’s game with an injury. Aside from Metcalf and Austin, the next leading WR on the roster is Ben Skowronek, who has one catch for 22 yards.
The running backs and tight ends will likely get plenty of looks from Aaron Rodgers on Sunday. But the Steelers will need a real threat on the outside, and this week, it looks like DK Metcalf may be the only one who can fit that role. Pittsburgh needs a good performance from Metcalf, who has recorded five receptions in a game just once this season.
