Father Of New Steelers Cornerback Rips DK Metcalf Adding To Pittsburgh's Problems

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a horrendous defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in Week 13, losing 26-7 in a game which they led 7-3 at the half. The Steelers then proceeded to completely collapse on both sides of the ball in a loss that will go down as one of the worst home losses in Steelers history. The offense couldn't generate any momentum against one of the weakest run defenses in the league, and the defense allowed the Bills' running game to completely gash them as Buffalo cruised to an easy victory in the second half of the game.

The Steelers' offense has failed to generate any kind of consistency over the last few weeks in both the passing and running game. A big part of this inconsistency is due to Steelers star wide receiver DK Metcalf having multiple games where he gets locked down by the opposing teams' defensive backs. The only time this season that Metcalf has gone over 100 yards receiving was in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland, posting 126 yards and a touchdown. Since then, Metcalf has only had one game over 90 yards, and two games over 50 yards. 

Steelers fans, the media, and many others are wondering exactly why Metcalf has underperformed so heavily. One comment made on Metcalf's performance came from Asante Samuel Sr., father of current Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., when he made an appearance on the Say What Needs To Be Said podcast earlier on Tuesday. Samuel was giving his take on the performance of the offense against the Bills, and after detailing Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' day, he went into detail on Metcalf and what he believed is a reason why the Steelers' offense has been sluggish.

"He's a non-factor; he is most of the problem," Samuel said. "At the end of the day, Aaron Rodgers needs someone to throw to. He's used to having elite receivers that suddenly get open. DK Metcalf can't provide that for Aaron Rodgers. And DK Metcalf is the reason that Aaron Rodgers is looking so old."

Samuel has an extremely good point, when considering that Metcalf's targets have dropped over the course of the season. Even more concerning is that Metcalf's catch rate on the season has only gotten worse with time. It seems as if every time the Steelers need to make a huge play on offense and Rodgers throws to Metcalf, he drops the ball and forces the offense to adjust. 

It's also apparent that opposing defenses have adjusted their schemes and personnel to cover Metcalf effectively, negating him as an option altogether. The Steelers haven't been able to adjust to get Metcalf additional separation on the field, making each throw that Rodgers attempts in Metcalf's direction incredibly dangerous. It was recently said by a Hall of Fame quarterback that they weren't sure if Metcalf fit the offense perfectly, and with how Metcalf has looked on the field recently, everything said has been warranted.

The most important issue that the Steelers need to figure out on offense is far more than figuring out a better plan of utilizing Metcalf.

Steelers Need To Learn How To Adjust Mid-Game Against Strong Opponents

Samuel's comments regarding Metcalf being most of the problem in the Steelers' offense isn't entirely the fault of Metcalf. The issue lies more with how the unit fails to adjust mid-game. This was very apparent against the Bills, as the team continued to stick to what had worked in the first half, even while the Bills had already adjusted and began to stop the offense in their tracks. 

The Steelers need to find a way to get Metcalf some separation on the field and adjust when needed, or else the losing streak is likely to continue.

What did you think about Samuel's comments regarding Metcalf? Let us know in the comments below.

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