Hottest Take: I Believe In The Steelers Again, And That Scares Me

The Steelers fans in my life are some of the most pessimistic people I know. When I started covering the team here at Sidelinr, I subconsciously adopted a lot of their jaded resignation to a middling season with nothing to show for it in Pittsburgh. For most of the season, that attitude was rewarded with up-and-down play, inconsistency, and chaos that seemed to waste a lot of potential on the roster. The failures seemed insurmountable, and the successes felt like flukes.

Then Pittsburgh survived that fiasco in Detroit. All of a sudden, I think Pittsburgh might have what it takes to do something this year. The defense held Jahmyr Gibbs and the rest of the Lions ground crew to 15 rushing yards, a far cry from the liability that made the Jets seem dangerous. Aaron Rodgers and his receivers have built a connection, and the passing attack seems more balanced than rudderless. The injuries have been adjusted to in stride, and everything looks to be operating as it should be, and either a win over the Browns or a Ravens loss to the Packers next week will grant the Steelers a playoff spot as winners of the AFC North.

Is there a chance that my optimism is misplaced? Absolutely. There’s a real chance that everything goes up in flames and Pittsburgh misses the playoffs. But it’s the holidays, so I’d rather spread Steelers cheer and look forward to an opportunity to make some noise in the postseason. Worst case scenario, Tomlin and company are more than welcome to blame me for jinxing the season–the engagement would make a great christmas present.

What You Need To Know: DK Metcalf Got Suspended

Steelers Receiver DK Metcalf was issued a two-game suspension on Monday stemming from an altercation with a Lions fan on the sideline during Sunday’s game. Metcalf appeared to exchange words with a fan in the front row, grabbing the man by his shirt before swiping at his blue novelty wig. According to reports from NFL insider, the fan has had altercations with Metcalf in the receiver’s previous visits to Detroit as a member of the Seahawks. The fan, identified as Ryan Kennedy, claimed that Metcalf took issue with Kennedy referring to him by his full legal name (DK is short for DeKaylin), while Metcalf’s camp has accused Kennedy of using hateful language directed at both him and his mother.

While the facts of the case continue to develop, Metcalf has yet to appeal his punishment, which means that for now he’ll miss Pittsburgh’s final two regular-season games against Cleveland and Baltimore. Hopefully he'll return for a potential playoff run. While his absence will surely be a huge blow to an offense that’s caught fire in recent weeks, Pittsburgh will look to minimize the damage by turning to their leading receiver for an even bigger workload ...

Before You Go: Kenneth Gainwell Saves Christmas

If this ridiculous touchdown catch isn’t enough for you, let’s look at some numbers for the Memphis product in his first year in Pittsburgh. Gainwell has 501 rushing yards as the secondary back to Jaylen Warren, 410 receiving yards on a team-high 62 receptions, and 578 kickoff return yards to go along with it. After four years with the Eagles to begin his career, he’s looking like the team MVP after 15 games on the other side of Pennsylvania. If Gainwell can continue his all-purpose explosiveness, look for Arthur Smith to increase his volume even more in Metcalf’s absence as the regular season winds down.