The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to take down the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday as the team won the contest by a score of 34-22. This was a big win for the Steelers as the team is now back above .500, and the Colts could be in the mix for a Wild Card spot near the end of the regular season. A big matchup during the game against the Colts was wide receiver DK Metcalf going against star cornerback Sauce Gardner. This was a highly-anticipated matchup after Metcalf had some subtle, disrespectful comments about Gardner throughout the week leading up to the game.
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (4) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) after a catch in the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium.
Metcalf has had a rough season so far in 2026, but he had his best game of the year in Week 4 during a loss to the Cleveland Browns. The veteran recorded 115 yards on five receptions, so the expectations were high for him coming into this game against the Colts. His confidence was also high, and that was made evident by his comments on Gardner when he was asked about him during his session with the media during the week leading up to the game.
"Who?" Metcalf asked.
Gardner is widely regarded as one of the best cornerbacks in the league, and he was a First-Team All-Pro selection during his first two seasons in the NFL. There is no doubt that Metcalf knew who he was, the wide receiver was just trying to get in his head before the matchup. Gardner was asked about these comments following the loss to Pittsburgh, and he took a humble approach to the situation after losing.
"Yeah, I seen it," Gardner said. "I had quite a few people from Detroit send me that. I mean, they got the win today. Pretty good team. We just got to be better. But hats off to them for getting the win, but we got to be better. I play corner, so you know how that go. I don't want to feed too much into it. I don't want it to be bigger than what it's supposed to be."
Metcalf was initially ridiculed by fans in Pittsburgh for his comment about Gardner, as it is a cardinal sin to give an opponent white board material like that before a matchup. Gardner certainly used it as well as Metcalf saw just four targets on the day. He caught three passes for only 12 yards.
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Steelers' DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers during a game in 2026.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been adamant in saying that he wants to get Metcalf involved with the offense as much as possible, but that was hard to do against the Colts as Gardner played extremely well. The Colts didn't win the game which is probably why Gardner kind of held back when asked by the media about the receiver's comments, but he knows he locked Metcalf up on the day. Most of his receiving yards came on screen passes, and there were only 12 of them to begin with as mentioned.
Rodgers couldn't connect much with Metcalf on Sunday due to his former teammate locking him up. Rodgers knows Gardner very well after their time together with the New York Jets. The two bonded a lot, and they were shown doing a secret handshake while the team was featured on HBO's Hard Knocks. Rodgers knew what Gardner could do coming into this game, so he probably was aware that getting Metcalf the ball wouldn't be easy.
Steelers Need To Get DK Metcalf The Ball Against Tampa Bay
The Steelers travel to Tampa Bay in Week 6, and there should be more opportunities for Metcalf to make an impact on the game. The secondary is beat up a bit for the Buccaneers, and the offense should be catered around Metcalf a bit after seeing just four targets in Week 5. Rodgers loves to get the veteran the ball, and since he couldn't in Week 5 it should be a heavy workload for Metcalf down in Florida.
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