The Philadelphia Eagles made a grave mistake with the game on the line Sunday. It wasn't as egregious as, say, quitting against the Cincinnati Bengals to secure a tie _ what could be? _ but it was almost admirably mindless.
They put a linebacker on Chase Claypool.
That might be the last time Claypool ever sees a linebacker one-on-one, and it wasn't the Eagles' only gaffe as the Steelers lined up for a third-and-8 at the Philly 35 with a two-point lead and 3:04 left.
The Eagles should have known, based on the Steelers-Texans game, as one example, that the Steelers don't always play conservatively with a late lead. There was a decent chance they weren't just going to shoot for the sticks or play for the field goal and hand the game to their defense.
Ben Roethlisberger's back, you know.
In the victory over Houston, the Steelers held an eight-point lead with 2:19 left and a 3rd-and-9 at the Texans 27. The game was pretty well secured. But the Steelers did not kick a field goal or run a clock-killing play. They threw the ball _ a quick out to Claypool, who split defenders for a 24-yard, game-clinching gain (and that was after they went for it on 4th-and-1 from the Texans 35).
It was obvious from the television feed Sunday that Roethlisberger likely was heading Claypool's way. The quarterback made a pre-snap signal to Claypool, raising his right hand to his face mask.
I'm assuming it meant, "Run past that little linebacker."
Nathan Gerry, at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, isn't small by normal standards, but almost everybody's small compared to the 6-4, 240-pound Claypool. Almost everybody's slow compared to him, too. On the day Claypool was drafted, ESPN reported that Calvin Johnson was the only receiver as big as Claypool who ever ran a faster 40-yard dash.
"He's got some God-given abilities," Roethlisberger said, "that not many people in this world have."
Based on his postgame comments, Claypool was unsure what to do when he lined up for the critical play _ perhaps even after Roethlisberger's hand signal (the sequence of events was unclear). So he did what any smart young student would do: He asked.
"(Roethlisberger) just told me (how to play it)," Claypool said. "He kind of told the whole defense, which is my fault."
Apparently, safety Rodney McLeod didn't get the memo. He shaded toward JuJu Smith-Schuster's quick out, allowing Claypool to sprint up the left hash toward the goal line. (Gerry, by this time, was literally stumbling toward a calamitous ending and is not likely to shed the "perennially struggling linebacker" label NJ.com put on him afterward.)
Touchdown. Ballgame. The Steelers are 4-0 for the first time since 1979 _ and they appear to have a new star in the wake of this 38-29 victory.
Claypool scored four touchdowns (three receiving, one rushing), something no NFL rookie since Reggie Bush in 2006 had done. He might have had five if not for a brutal offensive pass interference call. No Steelers rookie had ever scored four touchdowns. No Steelers player, period, had scored four since Roy Jefferson in 1968.
Chuck Noll, you might recall, ran Jefferson off the team a year later. I'm thinking Mike Tomlin might keep Claypool.
Names such as Gale Sayers and Franco Harris started flying around the broadcast as the game wore on. Such was the territory Claypool had infiltrated.
With Diontae Johnson injured, the Steelers badly needed big plays. Claypool made a bunch. He secured a clutch combat catch against a good corner in Darius Slay. He stretched for first downs. He followed his blockers perfectly on ... wait ... I'm now having the same problem Claypool had after the game.
He couldn't keep track of all his touchdowns. Neither can I.
OK, here we go: He perfectly followed his blockers on touchdowns of 3 (end around) and 5 (quick out) yards.
It doesn't matter which of those Claypool was talking about when he said, "You gotta make those plays. (Roethlisberger) is trusting you."
I don't want to get crazy here. Claypool's just getting started. But he already leads the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. I think it's fair to wonder if he's already the club's best receiver.
Put it this way: If every team in the league could pluck one receiver off the roster, whom would they choose?
I'm thinking most would take Claypool, just as I'm thinking most wished they had drafted Claypool (Baltimore, anyone?), just as I'm thinking most _ no, all _ will make sure a defensive back is covering Claypool when any future games are on the line.
I'm just not sure it'll do any good.
