From the beginning of the Steelers' Week 15 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, it never really felt like Pittsburgh stood a chance. Early in the game, Mike Tomlin's team knotted the score at 3-3. Entering the tunnel at halftime, the Steelers stuck around down 13-17.
But this game was never as close as the score indicated at times. As badly as Steelers fans wanted to see their team come out swinging against an elite football team on a nine-game winning streak, Pittsburgh's disheartening performance proved they aren't on the Eagles' level right now.
Early in the game, Darnell Washington got into a scuffle with cornerback Darius Slay Jr. This caused Calvin Austin III to run to his teammate's defense and shove rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
Though Eagles players threw punches, the only penalties called in the scuffle were handed to Washington and Austin — pushing the Steelers back 15 yards, which ultimately stalled the drive and forced Pittsburgh to settle for a field goal.
Darius Slay could have been ejected for the punches he threw at Washington, while he and Mitchell both should have been penalized for their involvement in the brawl that came well after the play. After the disappointing loss, Austin offered some much-needed comedic release with comments he made to the media.
"If I see plenty of Eagles come up and surround , yeah I’m gonna come in and help my dog," Austin said after the game. "But I guess being the biggest guy out there, I’m going to get a flag thrown on me."
Austin's sarcastic comments were just exactly what Alan Eck's officiating crew needed to hear after this sorry sequence of events in the Steelers-Eagles scuffle.
At 5'7 3/4'' and 170 pounds, Austin was clearly being sarcastic. The speedster wide receiver is typically the smallest player on the field. Ironically, the player he was sticking up for stands at nearly 6'7'' and weighs roughly 300 pounds.
Steelers need to start feeding Calvin Austin
All we can do is laugh at Austin's backhanded comments about the officiating and move on to Week 16 as the Steelers prepare to face the Baltimore Ravens on the road. But before we get there, Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith need to understand that Calvin Austin III was the only thing working on the offense against the Eagles.
Austin led all Steelers receivers with five catches on five targets for 65 yards. This included a brilliant catch in traffic down the field that required remarkable concentration to reel in the football.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth was the second-leading receiver on the team, but his efficiency waivered. He caught just three of six targets for 22 yards (though he did chip in a touchdown reception near the goal line). Every other receiving option was either inefficient or non-existent in Week 15.
Austin is extremely undersized, but he's proven to be the second-best option at wide receiver outside of George Pickens. With Pickens nursing a hamstring injury, the Steelers have to make Austin a focal point of the passing offense late in the season.