6 days ago
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But for a shanked 44-yard field goal, the DK Metcalf suspension would have tanked Pittsburgh's playoff hopes.
Now, he's officially back.
Metcalf's two-game suspension has been lifted. He's eligible to return to the team on Monday, and he'll undoubtedly be in the starting lineup next Monday night, when the Steelers host the Texans.
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His absence was evident in games against Cleveland and Baltimore. Always a threat whenever he's on the field, his presence as the Steelers get close to the goal line stresses a defense, whether the ball is thrown his way or not.
The Steelers likely would have beaten the Browns if he'd played. The finale against the Ravens quite possibly wouldn't have boiled down to a last-secon field-goal attempt if Metcalf had been available.
Regardless, he will be for the wild-card game against the Texans. And the Steelers should consider themselves fortunate.
Some within the league have questioned why Metcalf received only a two-game ban for assaulting a fan. Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw, by way of comparison, got two games for verbally accosting referee Brad Allen after a Week 7 win over the Giants. The Metcalf incident crosses a much different line. But for the fact that the punch he threw at Lions fan Ryan Kennedy missed the mark (and but for the fact that the jerking of Kennedy's T-shirt didn't cause him to tumble over the railing onto the ground below), the outcome could have been much worse, for eveyone.
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Yes, Metcalf paid a price for largely unprecedented behavior. And the Steelers paid a price for failing to keep him from approaching the stands to accost Kennedy. Some stillthink it should have been worse.
None of that matters now. The Steelers will have him for the playoff run, however long it lasts. The team's immediate goal will be to get the first postseason win since the 2016 season, ending the longest drought the Steelers have endured since they won their first ever playoff game on December 23, 1972, in the Immaculate Reception game.
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