4 bold predictions for the Steelers vs the Seahawks week 6
By Andrew Falce
Steelers Claypool is the missing link
The Steelers’ offense looked solid last week, and much of that came from using Chase Claypool more in the slot. He made quite a few big plays from there after JuJu Smith-Schuster was injured, and his size and speed make him an obvious mismatch for any defense. With no clear answer in the slot right now, it seems likely that Claypool takes on the majority of the slot work going forward.
This shouldn’t be a big surprise going forward, as Claypool was an effective slot receiver while at Notre Dame. A great athlete, Claypool presents a mismatch for any typical slot cornerback that will attempt to cover him. More than likely, he will see smaller corners in the slot, so the Steelers can use Claypool’s impressive size and physicality to win one on one in this upcoming game.
All that said, I think Claypool really ignites this offense this week. He makes quite a few big plays out of the slot as a receiver, but he also gets more involved in the ground game as well. Smith-Schuster had been a more active player in that regard, and it would make sense for Claypool to see an uptick there as well. All told, Claypool has well over 130 total yards out of the slot and looks like a real threat for the offense moving forward.