The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without their top wide receiver when they see the Cleveland Browns next week.
The NFL has suspended Steelers receiver DK Metcalf for two games after he shoved a fan during the team’s win against the Detroit Lions. Metcalf will miss the game against the Browns and the Steelers’ regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens.
The league said the suspension was for “conduct detrimental to the NFL for initiating a physical confrontation with a fan.” Metcalf plans to appeal the suspension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. If the suspension stands, Metcalf will forfeit $555,556 for the two games.
Metcalf leads the Steelers with 59 receptions this season for 850 yards and six touchdowns. The next closest wide receiver is Calvin Austin III, who has 28 grabs for 317 yards.
Cleveland is just 3-12 but has the league’s best passing defense, allowing just 164.1 yards per game through the air.
Browns Dealing With Multiple Key Injuries
The Browns are far from full strength. Nearly the entire offensive line is out and Cleveland may be missing their top three running backs against the Steelers. Veteran Jerome Ford is out for the year, as is rookie starter Quinshon Judkins, who broke his leg and dislocated his ankle in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. Dylan Sampson has missed the last two games with a calf injury.
Judkins’s absence is a major blow for the Cleveland offense that has already struggled. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is confident Judkins will bounce back after surgery and be ready to contribute next season.
“He’ll get surgery this week, up here. Expect him to make a full recovery. And like we talked about last night, knowing the kid, he’ll bounce back better than ever,” Stefanski said. “So, disappointed for him, but he’s in good hands and he will bounce back.”
The Browns will be relying on Trayveon Williams and Raheim “Rocket” Sanders to propel the running game against the Steelers.
“Both guys really understand what we’re doing with our schemes,” Stefanski said. “Rocket had a couple hard yards in there where he ran between the tackles, kept his legs moving. Obviously, Trayveon made some plays in the pass game as well. So, we’re counting on those guys, and we’ll be counting on them this week as well.”
Browns DE Myles Garrett Chasing Down Sack Record
Garrett inched closer to breaking the NFL single-season sack record against the Bills. He notched a half-sack, which moved him to 22 this season. The record of 22.5 is held jointly by Michael Strahan and TJ Watt.
Garrett has said that he’d like to set the record at home and the matchup with the Steelers will be his last chance. But his focus is still on winning, despite the Browns’ lost season.
“For me, I always keep the main thing, the main thing. I want to win,” Garrett said. “The record’s great, but the team record is what keeps me up at night. The sack record, it’ll be there.”
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been sacked 25 times in 14 games this season.
