Steelers Gameday
Chase Claypool First Rookie WR in Super Bowl Era with 10 TDs in 10 Games
Chase Claypool became the first wide receiver in the Super Bowl Era to score 10 touchdowns in his first 10 games with his long score against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Claypool hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the second quarter against the Jaguars on Sunday, putting Pittsburgh up, 10-3 and giving Claypool his 10th score of his rookie campaign.
CHASE CLAYPOOL IS ELITE. 🚀
10 TDs in 9 1/2 games so far for Mapletron!!! 🦾😤🇨🇦#PITvsJAX #HereWeGo #Steelers #NFL #NFLTwitter #FantasyFootball pic.twitter.com/zg0AGwze1R
— Ben Eby (@Mr_Eby) November 22, 2020
That makes him the first player in the Super Bowl Era and the fourth in league history with 10 scores in his first 10 games. He’s recorded eight receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.
The NFL rookie record for touchdowns in a rookie season is Gayle Sayers, who scored 22 with the Chicago Bears in 1965. Sayers had 12 in his first 10 games, before finishing with 10 in his final four games. Claypool is scheduled to play in 16 games, while Sayers had just 14.
The Super Bowl Era began two seasons after Sayers’ record, in 1967.
In discussing his team’s Week 11 game with the under-performing Jacksonville Jaguars, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin chose to use a college football comparison.
“We’re not a Big 10 team playing a MAC team,” Tomlin said last week. “Every time we step into a stadium, we are playing professionals, players and coaches.”
The message was a clear one to not overlook the moribund Jaguars. That mission was accomplished, as the Steelers coasted to a 27-3 victory in Jacksonville on Sunday.
But he may want to pick a different doormat for his analogy the next time. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a MAC alum from Miami University, said he was going to make a response as soon he figured out which conference William & Mary — Tomlin’s alma mater — plays in.
Roethlisberger is far from the only MAC alum on the Steelers. Star wide receiver Diontae Johnson went to Toledo, as did backup linebackers Ola Adeniyi and Jayrone Elliott. Right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and inside linebacker Robert Spillane are West Michigan grads. Injured linebacker Ulysees Gilbert III went to Akron and practice squad wide receiver Anthony Johnson is a Buffalo alum, giving the Steelers eight former MAC members.
And those guys came up big in the win. Roethlisberger threw for two touchdowns, Johnson had over 100 yards receiving, Okorafor was part of a line that helped James Conner to 6.8 yards per carry and kept Roethlisberger from being sacked and Spillane had four tackles.
After Sunday’s win, some of the Steelers’ MAC graduates got the last laugh, with Roethlisberger, Adeniyi, Johnson, Okorafor and Spillane getting Tomlin to pose with a photo.
“MAC guys” captioned Robert Spillane on Instagram, with laughing emojis.
Maybe next time, Tomlin should pick on the Sun Belt.
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Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered a minor ailment in the Steelers’ 27-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed after the game.
Tomlin characterized Smith-Schuster’s injury as part of the “minor bumps and bruises associated with play.” Smith-Schuster left the game in the fourth quarter with the Steelers leading by multiple scores.
Tomlin said that he didn’t think the injury was anything major, but acknowledge that “it could be a factor for him” when dealing with a short week of preparation upcoming. The Steelers are set to host the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night.
Smith-Schuster caught four passes for 19 yards in the game before he left with the injury. Ray-Ray McCloud replaced him in the top group of receivers.
