Chase Claypool searches for strong finish for Steelers

A missing piece of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense resurfaced in the second half Sunday and helped contribute to the comeback from the 17-point deficit. Chase Claypool would like to take the momentum he built against the Indianapolis Colts and carry it into the season finale at Cleveland — and beyond.

After being an afterthought in the first half — he had no targets on Ben Roethlisberger’s first 20 attempts — Claypool caught four of six passes for 54 yards in the 28-24 victory that clinched the AFC North title for the Steelers.

So consistent and at times dominant in the first half of the season, Claypool saw his playing time dip as coach Mike Tomlin tried to keep his rookie second-rounder from being worn down by the rigors of a 16-game NFL season. As a result, his production dipped, too, as the calendar flipped to December.

Claypool, however, helped awaken the Steelers from their first-half slumber Sunday. He was targeted four times on the Steelers’ opening drive of the third quarter, and he caught three passes, including a 34-yarder that got the ball into the red zone. Although the Steelers were stopped at the Colts 2, Claypool helped loosen up the Colts defense with his contributions to the downfield passing game.

“He may have come out of it bit,” offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said. “I’ve just seen a little more pep in his step, a little more understanding, a little more sense of urgency.”

Entering the season finale at Cleveland, Claypool is tied for the team lead with eight touchdown catches and he leads all Steelers pass catchers with 13.5 yards per reception. His 772 yards are second on the team, and his 57 receptions rank third. Those numbers were good enough for Claypool to win the “Joe Greene Great Performance Award,” which goes annually to the Steelers’ top rookie.

In accordance with his playing time, the stats have dropped off for Claypool since the Steelers improved to 11-0 with a victory Dec. 2 against Baltimore. He had 45 catches for 611 yards and eight touchdowns to that point of the schedule.

In the next three games, all losses, he totaled eight catches for 107 yards and no scores.

“He is above the curve when it comes to physicalness and conditioning and (the) mental (aspect),” Fichtner said. “I said that in the beginning. I thought that was one of the reasons why he came out of the gate so quick. I do think there is probably some lull that will happen. It’s funny, it always seems to happen about that time when your normal college season would be over. About 11, 12 games, that is what they are used to. That is what their bodies are used to.

“I won’t say that he hit that wall, but I will say that there is something there that you have to work yourself through.”

When Claypool logged 79% of the offensive snaps against Indianapolis, it was the first game since Week 9 in Dallas that his playing time topped 70%. It was Tomlin’s way of keeping Claypool from hitting the proverbial rookie barrier.

“Coach T has been in this game for a lot longer time than I have,” Claypool said. “Whether I believe it or not, I think he knows what he’s doing. I’m feeling good now, so whatever he did and whether it was necessary or not, I’m feeling good heading into the playoffs, and that’s all that matters.”

Claypool became the seventh wide receiver, and fourth in the Tomlin era, to win the Steelers’ top rookie honors since the award was adopted in 1984. He heads into the season finale needing five catches to set the team rookie record for receptions (Troy Edwards, 61, 1999) and one more receiving touchdown to tie Louis Lipps (nine, 1984). A longer shot is getting the 146 yards necessary to set the standard for receiving yardage by a rookie (JuJu Smith-Schuster, 917, 2017).

“I always tell him I think he can be as good as he wants to be,” Roethlisberger said. “I think only the surface has been scratched with the talent, with the ability of that guy. I’m excited to see what hopefully he can bring in the postseason. It’s always hard for young guys to play for such a long season.”