Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf made immediate headlines going into the game against the Colts after being questioned about his matchup with Colts' cornerback Sauce Gardner and only answering with one word.
"Who?"
That is bold in its own right, and it forced the Pittsburgh Steelers to deal with another week of bulletin-board material coming from inside their own locker room. The star wide receiver for the Black and Gold cannot help himself when it comes to calling out his opposition this season. His recent comments against one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL were a bold decision for him to make.
At the end of the day, the results on the scoreboard matter most, and for Pittsburgh's sake, they at least won the game against the Colts this past weekend. That being said, Metcalf's comments didn't necessarily age well. In fact, you could even say they backfired.
Although the Steelers won the game, it's clear that Sauce Gardner got the better of the matchup between him and Metcalf.
The "who" comment from Metcalf only made him look more foolish as the game progressed. The star receiver might've made some plays, particularly as a blocker, but that is not the reason the Steelers are paying him over $25 million in cash this season. If he is truly a number one weapon on offense, Pittsburgh would've had full confidence in the player, making Sauce Gardner look like a scrub.
Pittsburgh Steelers' DK Metcalf bold comment looks more foolish after Colts' CB Sauce Gardner takes the high road
It wasn't a noteworthy game for DK Metcalf after his poor choice of words about Sauce Gardner.
He only produced three catches for a snooze-worthy 12 receiving yards. It's clear that Pittsburgh didn't make their highly compensated wide receiver a main target during this game, as Aaron Rodgers only threw him four passes. That is troublesome to see since they were missing Michael Pittman Jr. and lost Roman Wilson during the game.
Again, it was positive to see Metcalf still engaged in the game and help out as a blocker.
He was able to help spring some big plays that allowed Jaylen Warren to cash in on a couple of occasions. That selflessness is a breath of fresh air for the Steelers' top receiver. It is clear that the team needs more production from their top playmaker, but his comments about Gardner only soured further after the cornerback responded to Metcalf.
"I play corner, so you know how that goes. I don't want to feed too much into it," Gardner said, via WISH-TV News. "I don't want it to be bigger than what it's supposed to be. Yeah, it is what it is."
After hearing Gardner's response, it's clear that the star corner took the high road when it came to DK's poor choice of words. It's hard to talk smack when your team loses, but when it comes to their individual matchup, the Steelers wideout came out of this game as a massive loser. He wasn't the focal point of his offense, and Gardner clearly became the individual winner of this entire fiasco.
Metcalf continues to disappoint this season, and talking trash to the other team's best cornerback only to follow it up with a near-dud of a performance is almost laughable. He has to do better as the highest-compensated wide receiver on the Steelers.
With both Pittman Jr. and Wilson now out of the lineup, it's time for Metcalf to stop talking and start producing big numbers like he's paid to do.
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