![\"Steelers\u2019](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2189272689-1.jpg\")
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The\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0could really use a second pass-catcher to be a bigger part of their passing attack in Week 11. Only\u00a0D.K. Metcalf\u00a0has eclipsed the 260-yard mark for the season. In more recent weeks, it\u2019s become too easy for opposing defenses to stop the Steelers attack by just double covering Metcalf.<\/p>\n
One pass-catcher who has the talent to play a bigger role is tight end\u00a0Pat Freiermuth. The good news for the Steelers is Freiermuth has a knack for excelling against the\u00a0Cincinnati Bengals, who is the next opponent on Pittsburgh\u2019s schedule.<\/p>\n
Freiermuth isn\u2019t 100% sure why he has performed so well versus the Bengals in the past. But he gave credit to his father.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Dad\u2019s from Cincinnati, so maybe that\u2019s it,\u201d Freiermuth told Heavy Sports in an exclusive interview. \u201cMaybe he\u2019s given me some, like Cincinnati\u00a0magic\u00a0or something. I don\u2019t even know. But yeah, maybe that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they are just one of them teams, and schematically, I think I just play well against them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freiermuth said his dad was a Bengals fan until the day he was drafted. The Steelers tight end has made a career out of carving up his father\u2019s former favorite team.<\/p>\n
In nine games against the Bengals, Freiermuth has averaged 5.3 catches and 66.7 receiving yards per contest. He has also scored six touchdowns.<\/p>\n
Overall,\u00a0Freiermuth has\u00a0600 receiving yards in his career versus Cincinnati. He doesn\u2019t have more than 199 career receiving yards against any other team in the league.<\/p>\n
During the 2023 season, Freiermuth did post zero receptions in a game against the Bengals. However,\u00a0he has\u00a0at least 75 receiving yards or a touchdown in the other eight contests versus Cincinnati in his career.<\/p>\n
In Week 7, Freiermuth had his best outing of maybe his entire career in the Queen City. The tight end posted five receptions for 111 yards and scored twice.<\/p>\n
Freiermuth doesn\u2019t have more than 33 receiving yards in any other game this season.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin chalked up Freiermuth\u2019s success against Cincinnati as more than just fatherly magic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey play a lot of zone, or they\u2019ve played a lot of zone, particularly with their previous coordinator, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s had some big games against those guys,\u201d Tomlin told reporters. \u201cThere is no secret that Muth has very good zone awareness, and he is a zone killer, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s had some of the games he\u2019s had against those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Steelers would love for Freiermuth to be among the team leaders in receptions and receiving yards in the final seven weeks. Away from the field, the tight end is leading a blood drive to combat blood shortages around the United States.<\/p>\n
The global health leader Abbott and the Big Ten Conference created the blood drive campaign called\u00a0\u201cThe We Give Blood Drive.\u201d\u00a0In its second season, the drive is a competition among all Big Ten schools to see who will donate the most blood. The winning school will receive $1 million from Abbott to advance student and community health initiatives.<\/p>\n
The Steelers tight end is campaigning for Big Ten fans, students and alumni to donate blood. He is especially pushing for Penn State students and alumni to make donations.<\/p>\n
Freiermuth played at Penn State from 2018-20.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s super big because there\u2019s a blood shortage,\u201d Freiermuth said. \u201cEvery two seconds in the United States, people need blood. So this is obviously important.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the blood shortage, I\u2019m encouraging people to donate blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donations will be accepted through December 5. The Big Ten will announce the winning school at the conference\u2019s championship game on December 6.<\/p>\n
To sign up to donate blood for a particular school, visit\u00a0BigTen.Org\/Abbott.<\/p>\n
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of a rough stretch after the 2025 season started out so great. They began the year with a record of 4-1, but now the group is 5-4 after going 1-3 in their last four games. The franchise’s lead in the AFC North has dwindled down to just one game, and it is hard to imagine the Steelers are going to be able to hang onto the lead in the division with the Baltimore Ravens surging and the Cincinnati Bengals still within reach while Joe Burrow returns to practice. Tensions are clearly rising in Pittsburgh, but the group is going to have to manage that in order to get back in the win column.<\/p>\n
There was obvious frustration on the field during Pittsburgh’s most recent game against the Los Angeles Chargers\u00a0in Week 10. The offense had just three points throughout most of the game, and quarterback\u00a0Aaron Rodgers\u00a0let his emotions be seen as there were multiple shots of him being disappointed with himself, or of him getting frustrated with teammates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NFL insider Mike Garafolo\u00a0spoke about this on Thursday during an episode of\u00a0Good Morning Football<\/em>, and he shared that things might not be on solid ground in Pittsburgh at the moment.<\/p>\n “Something’s bothering me with the Steelers right now,” Garafolo said. “Aaron Rodgers’ reactions to his own teammates, to maybe himself, I don’t know. There’s been a lot of this. I don’t love it, right? He strongly hinted that this could be his last NFL season. He hasn’t really closed the door or solidified that. I’m not gonna pretend like I know what’s going on in his head, but this leads me to believe the whole thing’s just not on solid ground right now.”<\/p>\n Everyone always overreacts whenever Rodgers acts in certain ways because the media has always attempted to paint him to be the villain, especially during the latter parts of his career with the New York Jets. He has been a great teammate and leader with the Steelers, but Garafolo pointed out that the veteran’s reactions on Sunday night were notable, and not in a good way.<\/p>\n The national media jumps at every opportunity to paint Rodgers in a bad light it seems. It is not the best look in the world to be yelling at teammates on the field and whatnot, but that is what comes with playing football, especially quarterback. He is a 41-year old who won the league’s MVP Award four times. It’s hard to imagine his younger teammates take too much offense when he criticizes their play or voices his displeasure with a miscommunication.<\/p>\n Rodgers has earned the right to act the way he does on the field, but it probably doesn’t come off as well\u00a0during games when he is struggling. That was the case on Sunday night as the quarterback missed plenty of throws, which could be a reason things might be shaky in the locker room.<\/p>\n Garafolo also spoke about whether or not Rodgers would be retiring in 2026 or returning to play. He is only on a one-year deal with Pittsburgh, so he would technically be a free agent again during the offseason. However, if he decided to play again, hopefully he would want to return to Pittsburgh. Garafolo spoke as if that pending decision was also causing issues, but that wouldn’t make any sense as the entire organization and the entire roster knew that the 2025 season could probably be Rodgers’ last.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pittsburgh will look to get back in the win column against a poor defense on Sunday as the team faces the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0could really use a second pass-catcher to be a bigger part of their passing attack in Week 11. Only\u00a0D.K. Metcalf\u00a0has eclipsed the 260-yard mark for the season. In more recent weeks,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t