Tony Romo: Steelers likely beat Browns if not for DK Metcalf suspension

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf was suspended by the NFL for two games after an altercation with a Detroit Lions fan on Dec. 21 at Ford Field. The suspension was particularly rough timing for a Steelers team that’s in a fight with the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North division title.

On Sunday, in the first of two games without Metcalf, the Steelers lost 13-6 to the Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw three straight incompletions as the Browns held at the goal line to secure the upset victory.

“IT IS INCOMPLETE! INCOMPLETE AND NO FLAG! THE BROWNS HAVE PULLED OFF THE UPSET!”

Jim Nantz with the call of the Steelers-Browns finish for CBS. 🏈🎙️ #NFL pic.twitter.com/4FOEPxxEiT

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 28, 2025

Tony Romo served as the color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz for the Steelers-Browns broadcast on CBS. And during a postgame interview on CBS Sports HQ, Romo said, “Pittsburgh probably wins this game if DK Metcalf is out there.”

“Because the coverage that you see, they press on the outside with no safety help,” Romo explained. “Usually, there’s a safety that comes over and wants to help double-team when Metcalf is out there. They got to put him down in there and help on everybody else, and in the run game. And [the Steelers] just couldn’t quite create those big plays on the outside, outside the numbers. And I think that it was kind of the difference in the game. And they kept trying to at the end. It’s like, Aaron knows where the ball should go versus that coverage, but they couldn’t make the play.”

Rodgers completed 21-of-39 passes for 168 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 64.9 passer rating that was his third-lowest mark of the season. Tight end Pat Friermuth led Pittsburgh with 63 receiving yards, and no Steelers wide receiver had more than 25 yards.

Entering Sunday, Metcalf’s 850 receiving yards on the season were more than double those of anyone else on Pittsburgh.

So, to Romo’s point, the Metcalf absence was certainly impactful, and it was especially felt on Pittsburgh’s final possession.

And now the Steelers will have to find a way to try to beat the Ravens without Metcalf while the AFC North title is on the line in Week 18. The division crown is the only way Pittsburgh (9-7) and Baltimore (8-8) can get into the playoffs.