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The Pittsburgh Steelers are headed to the NFL playoffs after a thrilling finish to Week 18, and one of their stars is clearly happy that he was not allowed to play in the team’s crucial final games of the regular season due to a suspension.
DK Metcalf was suspended two games for waving at a fan during the Steelers’ game against the Detroit Lions, and his 2025 season availability came down to a 44-yard field goal by Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop on Sunday night to decide who would win the AFC North and who would go home for the year.
Loop’s kick went wide right, and in return, Metcalf will be in the game against the Houston Texans on “Monday Night Football” during the Wild Card round.
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Pittsburgh Steelers’ DK Metcalf sits on the bench during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)
Metcalf decided to post a sketch of comedian Druski to his Instagram Story on Monday, expressing his happiness. In the sketch, Druski plays a character who has just been released from prison, which Metcalf clearly compares to his two-game suspension.
Druski reunites with friends in the skit as he says “demon home.” Metcalf will likely feel the same way when he walks into the Steelers’ facility this week to prepare for their playoff game.
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The Steelers didn’t have to hope Loop missed that kick Sunday night to decide their playoff spot, as a win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 would have sealed the deal. But without Metcalf, Rodgers and company struggled against the Browns’ defense, which included three passes from the four-time MVP quarterback to Marquez Valdes-Scantling late in the game that all went incomplete in the end zone.
Steelers fans couldn’t help but think about what might have happened if Metcalf was the one getting the fade balls that he has all season.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (4) warms up before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium on August 16, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
Instead, Week 18 mattered as the Ravens defeated the Green Bay Packers and turned the matchup into a winner-take-all scenario at Acrisure Stadium. Fortunately for Metcalf, his teammates picked him up, including Calvin Austin, who picked up the game-winning touchdown with 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
However, the Steelers were on pins and needles after stalwart kicker Chris Boswell sank the extra point, leaving the Ravens with the walk-off field goal.
Pittsburgh escaped with the win, but the challenge will be even greater now that they face the Texans, the NFL’s top defense in yards allowed per carry. game (277.2) and second in points allowed (17.4).
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Jabrill Peppers (40) reacts after Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop (33) missed a field goal attempt in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Rodgers and the rest of the Steelers’ offense will rely on Metcalf to get the job done, and while he’s kidding a bit now, he certainly understands the pressure coming his way in the playoffs.
