Pat Freiermuth has monster performance for Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Bears
Former Penn State Football tight end Pat Freiermuth continues to impress, as a focal point of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ passing game
Pat Freiermuth’s dominant rookie campaign continued Monday night for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Freiermuth, chosen by the Steelers in the second-round of this spring’s NFL Draft, out of Penn State, entered Monday night’s contest against the Chicago Bears with two receiving touchdowns. By the third quarter, he had doubled that output.
With 13:22 remaining in the first quarter, Freiermuth broke free on a slant pattern in the corner of the end zone, before hauling in a four-yard touchdown catch from Ben Roethlisberger.
Ben Roethlisberger & Pat Freiermuth (4-yd TD)
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 9, 2021
Out of empty formation, Roethlisberger holds for 4.80 seconds and finds Freiermuth open in the end zone (by 3.3 yards). The pass was Big Ben's longest time to throw on a TD pass since Week 11, 2018 vs JAX.#CHIvsPIT | #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/gHBCAaUsz5
But, Freiermuth was far from finished.
In the third quarter, with Pittsburgh leading 14-6, Freiermuth added a 10-yard touchdown reception from Roethlisberger.
Pat Freiermuth climbing NFL rookie rankings
It becomes clearer each week that Roethlisberger and Freiermuth are developing a strong connection. Through the first eight games of his NFL career, Freiermuth has caught 26 passes for 232 yards and four touchdowns.
According to Pro Football Focus, Roethlisberger entered Monday night with a 124.7 passer rating when targeting Freiermuth.
After Monday night’s outburst, Freiermuth is second among rookies with four receiving touchdowns this season, trailing only Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Ja’Marr Chase by three scores.