CLEVELAND — Postgame reactions, commentary and analysis following the Steelers' 27-24 loss to the Browns:
Monster Metcalf
That was a vintage DK Metcalf performance.
Metcalf caught 5 passes for 115 yards, getting it done in the short, intermediate and deep parts of the field. He had 98 yards receiving over the first three games combined, so perhaps this is the dam breaking for the Steelers' No. 1 wideout, and he was having fun as he reeled in passes of 22 and 28 yards on the final drive.
"It was an emotional game, a divisional game, so that's what that was," Metcalf said.
That was Metcalf's third 100-yard receiving game as a Steeler, and first since December of last season. Each one of his receptions moved the chains to pick up a first down and his diving 43-yard snag late in the first half was his third-longest reception for the Steelers.
"He looked good. He looked really good," said fellow receiver Roman Wilson. "I just love watching him. He's obviously getting double-teamed a lot, or at least shaded to his side, but he has to fight through contact and he's playing well, I think."
Hot start
Wilson played well for his part, too, scoring the first points of the game on a 12-yard touchdown catch-and-run, then set up the final points before halftime with his 49-yard reception.
That was the longest gain of the night for the Steelers, who continue to get contributions from Wilson in his third season as he strengthens his rapport with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But it's not just that Wilson can build on.
"For sure. I can't say exactly what it is," Wilson said. "I think just for me, being more keyed in to my route details and finding any way to get open."
Wilson tied his career high with 74 yards on three catches and found the end zone for the second week in a row.
"I'm playing all right," Wilson said. "I could be playing better, though."
Rodgers reaches
Steelers center Zach Frazier is used to snapping the ball to a tight end when the time comes for a quarterback sneak. But Rodgers chose to keep it himself on the game-tying 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter, and he got the job done himself at 42 years old.
"It says a lot about him," Frazier said. "We've had that mechanism in for the last two years. He wanted it for that situation. Obviously, he doesn't really sneak anymore, but game on the line, he wanted to have the ability."
Frazier added that he speaks to how much of a competitor Rodgers is to put his head down with a yard to gain and plenty of contact waiting for him at the center of the pile.
First one for the rookie
Safety Robert Spears-Jennings, a seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma, has been producing on special teams from the jump. But Thursday he was put into a role to play more snaps on defense, and he paid off that coaching decision with his first NFL interception.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was looking for big rookie receiver Denzel Boston about 40 yards downfield when Jack Sawyer tipped the throw and Spears-Jennings made a play on the ball in the air.
"When you watch the tape, he does take shots. He has a lot of high-risk, high-reward type [throws] so we weren't surprised by it," Spears-Jennings said.
Pressed into action
Spears-Jennings wasn't the only rookie defensive back who found himself with a lot on his plate. Third-round pick Daylen Everette saw his most extensive action at cornerback, with veteran starter Jamel Dean going down with an ankle injury late in the first half.
There were ups and downs, as to be expected for a young player. Everett said there was a miscommunication on a play when Boston got behind him for a 60-yard reception.
But Everette also had his second pass breakup in as many weeks. Depending on the severity of Dean's injury, Everette could be relied upon next week against the Colts.
Harmon goes down too
Coming off of his door-slamming sack against the Bengals, second-year defensive lineman Derrick Harmon didn't get much of a chance for an encore.
Harmon was lost to a foot injury in the first five minutes of the second quarter and did not return. That meant more on the plate of fellow second-year defensive lineman Yahya Black, whose game status was in doubt coming into it.
Black was designated as questionable because of personal reasons earlier in the day but ultimately suited up and played. Without Harmon, the Steelers were down to Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Black and Sebastian Joseph-Day up front.
