PITTSBURGH — With the Pittsburgh Steelers clinging to a two-point lead in the final minutes Sunday, Ben Roethlisberger looked for the man who was rapidly becoming his favorite target.
Just four games into his professional career, that man is Chase Claypool.
Facing third-and-8 from the Philadelphia Eagles‘ 35, Roethlisberger saw a wide-open Claypool in the middle of the field. Claypool hauled in the pass and outran two defenders for the touchdown, sealing the Steelers’ 38-29 win and the team’s first 4-0 start since 1979.
The score was Claypool’s fourth of the day, the first time a Steelers rookie has done that. He also became the first rookie in NFL history with three receiving touchdowns and a rushing score in one game.
Claypool took to social media after the game, writing “7/11 … always open” with a picture of him and Roethlisberger and a nod to their uniform numbers.
7/11 … always open. pic.twitter.com/vkv49AK6vL
— Chase Claypool (@ChaseClaypool) October 11, 2020
His monster afternoon — which included 7 receptions, 110 receiving yards and 6 rushing yards — got started early when he ran into the end zone for a 2-yard score after a seven-minute drive in the first quarter. He also scored the Steelers’ next touchdown a quarter later when Roethlisberger found him for a third-down completion that turned into a 32-yard score for a 14-7 lead.
He added a third score on the Steelers’ first drive of the third quarter on a 5-yard reception.
As the game progressed, Roethlisberger’s trust in the Canadian rookie was obvious. He looked for him on third downs and gave him a chance to make tough catches. One would-be touchdown got called back when the officials whistled Claypool for offensive pass interference on a sideline reception, and another catch got wiped out when replay determined he got only one foot down on the sideline.
Still, the fact that Roethlisberger targeted Claypool 11 times — nearly double the next-most-targeted player (Eric Ebron, six) — shows the fast rapport the veteran quarterback has built with the rookie he and coach Mike Tomlin constantly praised during training camp.
Claypool had a limited role in his first two games as a Steeler, but he was efficient with his touches. He caught all five targets in the first two weeks — including an 84-yard catch-and-run against the Denver Broncos in Week 2. In Week 3, Claypool’s snaps increased dramatically after wide receiver Diontae Johnson left with a concussion. Claypool wound up playing 76 percent of snaps in his absence.
A similar thing happened for Claypool against the Eagles on Sunday when Johnson went down with a back injury on a punt return early in the game. Claypool absorbed his snaps and more than made the most of them.
His breakout performance puts him in the conversation with other Steelers such as like Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, who are the only other Steelers players with at least three touchdowns and 100 scrimmage yards in a single game.