The Seattle Seahawks vs the Pittsburgh Steelers game on Sunday (17-31) was expected to be a revenge game for WR DK Metcalf. His first receiving touchdown sent fans into a frenzy in the 1st half of the game, but what turned out late in the game was the failure of the offence and defence as the Steelers lost an opportunity to win a second consecutive game in a 17-31 matchup.
The biggest storyline in Week 1 was Aaron Rodgers and his performance, as the former Packers star was the most-awaited free agent in the offseason. Similarly, for Week 2, one of the biggest storylines swirling around the Steelers was Metcalf’s potential stellar performance against his former team. But things went differently. “I hate losing, whether it’s a peewee football team or the Seahawks, I hate losing. I love my old teammates, but I hate losing,” Metcalf reacted to losing against the Seahawks after the game. Talking about Metcalf’s performance, the former NFL star Cam Newton thinks the Steelers WR was nowhere near the targets, and he should have gotten more passes.
Cam Newton’s Supportive Take on DK Metcalf
When reporters asked Cam Newton about the Steelers’ new WR and his performance in Sunday’s game, he questioned how the Steelers used DK Metcalf in the offensive unit. Newton’s take on ESPN’s First Take was, “Where is he at, bro? We acquired him in the offseason with the addition of Aaron Rodgers. You’re like, ‘Okay, this is a match made in heaven.’ When you have your starting running back leading the receiving charge, that’s never a good sign.” The former Panthers QB continued, “I’m not saying that he’s not capable. He needs an opportunity to really perform. And we’re just not seeing that.”
Actually, in the game, Metcalf caught only three passes on six targets. He covered only 20 yards in the game, including a 2-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers when the clock hit 1:09 in the 2nd quarter. In that place, 26-year-old running back Jaylen Warren stole the show with four passes at four targets covering 86 yards. He also made 14 rushing attempts to cover 48 yards at an average of 3.4 yards per rush. Along with Warren, fans saw Pat Freiermuth (3 catches for 31 yards), tight end Jonnu Smith (four catches for 27 yards) taking passes in the game.
But according to many, DK could have taken more catches. There was a dip in his yard coverage and catches compared to the Week 1 matchup. In the New York Jets matchup, Metcalf ran for 83 yards and caught 4 passes at 7 targets. In Week 1, the Steelers executed a smart approach with Metcalf. They involved him early in the quick passing game and let him create yards after the catch by making defenders miss. At the same time, his threat on vertical routes forced the defence to respect the deep ball, which helped create space for the rest of the offence.
Well, however, the Steelers still have plenty of games left to correct mistakes and let DK lead the offensive unit on his own. The upcoming game of the Steelers will be against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. ET 1:00 PM. Let’s see if Metcalf could add more receiving touchdowns to his name in the upcoming matchup.