TE Attack — Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth
“I think, selfishly, me and Darnell are the best tight end duo in the NFL,” Pat Freiermuth said. “Anytime we can go out there and utilize our skill sets to the best of our abilities, I think we have a pretty good chance to win the game on offense.”
Freiermuth caught five balls for 44 yards and two touchdowns. The second touchdown was the dagger that clinched the Steelers’ win late in the fourth quarter. Freiermuth has been a consistent and reliable target for Steelers’ quarterbacks since being drafted in 2021.
With Warren and Rodgers being the key focus of the offense’s success, scoring 34 points, Freiermuth’s efforts sort of flew under the radar. The 6-foot-5 tight end is pacing for one of his best professional seasons, with four touchdowns through five weeks, including the two important scores he had against Indianapolis.
Freiermuth has scored seven touchdowns in 2024 and in his rookie year, and is on his way to breaking his record with four through five games.
His partner in crime, Darnell Washington, the Steelers’ monstrous 6’7 tight end, also had an impactful game. While the box score does not do justice, his efforts showed up especially in the blocking aspect. On Warren’s 50-yard touchdown run, Washington did a lot of the work blocking three Colts defenders and literally paving the way for Warren up the middle.
Other than being known for how impossible it is to bring him down with one defender, Washington is a tremendous blocker. He acts as a sixth offensive lineman a majority of the time for Pittsburgh’s rushing attack.
A New Cornerback Duo in Pittsburgh
After trading Joey Porter Jr. over two weeks ago and Jamel Dean going down with injury, the Steelers looked thin at cornerback. Thankfully, Asante Samuel Jr. and Daylen Everette had stepped up in big ways for the Steel Curtain.
Samuel Jr. currently ranks second amongst cornerbacks in pass breakups with five. In Sunday’s win, Daniel Jones targeted Samuel Jr. 11 times. In these 11 passes, he allowed just three catches for 36 yards. He also broke up four passes in this contest. Most importantly, the game was clinched with his questionable, but uncalled, pass breakup on Colts receiver Keenan Allen. No harm, no foul on this one.
He also had a key pass break-up against Colts tight end Tyler Warren, in the endzone early in the fourth quarter. Another PBU came late in the third quarter on a jump ball in the endzone. Both of these deflections came on Colts third downs in or near the red zone.
On the other side of the defense, rookie Daylen Everette has done a solid job replacing Porter Jr. Everette was drafted out of Georgia in the third round of the latest NFL draft. His best play of the day was an incredible recovery on a deep ball that originally froze him. His closeout speed allowed him to get back in the play and make a diving deflection.
The rookie had two pass breakups last Sunday, and four on the season. Everette has a lot to learn, and there will be “rookie mistake[s]” along the way, but his play on Sunday in his first career start was a big factor in the Steelers shutting down Jones and the Colts’ receiving crew.
Germie Bernard Shines in First Start
In his first start, rookie receiver Germie Bernard led the Steelers receiving corps with 80 yards and catches, hauling in six passes from Rodgers. He made a large impact on the game through the air.
Maybe his most important catch of the game came on a 3rd-and-two early in the fourth quarter. Bernard’s ability to get open and improvise his route as Rodgers eluded pressure shows his football IQ is well above his pro experience. This play flipped the Steelers’ field position and led to Freiermuth’s second touchdown.
If the Steelers do not pick up this first down, they punt it back to Indianapolis up just two points, with about 10 minutes remaining.
With Michael Pittman Jr. on IR and Roman Wilson going down with an injury on Sunday, Bernard was primed to step up, and he did just that. As Pittman Jr. and Wilson will miss multiple weeks, Bernard will be the Steelers number two receiver behind DK Metcalf. Rodgers sees the confidence starting to build within the young receiver.
“It’s just confidence. When a young player starts playing with confidence, you see the potential of a player. I thought last week was a good step in the right direction for him,” Rodgers said.
It’s only up from here for the rookie. He likely will get a considerable amount of opportunities in the coming weeks with the injuries. As well as the extra attention Jaylen Warren will start to get from defenses. He seems to be gaining Rodgers’ trust as well, notably after this breakout performance.
Steelers Week 6
The Steelers now head to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers and rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels. Tampa Bay is 1-4, picking up their first win of the season last Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys.
Interesting to note that the 3-2 Steelers have not won a road game yet this season, but have a good opportunity to do so against the rookie QB. All-time, the Steelers are 6-1 on the road versus Tampa Bay and 10-2 overall.
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