Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw the ball as high and as far as he could down the left sideline. As he did, a blitzing Denver Broncos linebacker hit him at full speed after breaking through the offensive line untouched.
Looking toward the sky, rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool located the ball as he outran two defenders, skirted the sideline as he made the catch and then ignited the afterburners as he sprinted to the end zone for an 84-yard touchdown.
The whole time, a bewildered Roethlisberger laid on the turf.
“Without the crowd, you really don’t know what happens,” Roethlisberger told reporters after the game. “You can’t tell if it’s caught, incomplete, touchdown. There’s just no reaction. I had no idea what was going on. I had an idea that he caught it.”
Claypool, on the other hand, expected to catch the ball before it was ever snapped, noticing that the corner was playing up after spending most of the game backed off the line of scrimmage.
“When I did go in, we called that play, and the DB pressed, which is really good for that play call, obviously,” Claypool said.
In a game Pittsburgh would go on to win 26-21, the touchdown put the Steelers up 14-3 in the second quarter on Sunday against the Broncos. Not only was it consequential to the final outcome, but the catch also carries significance within the Steelers franchise and in Canada.
According to Steelers communications manager Michael Bertsch, formerly the Notre Dame football director of media relations, it was the fourth-longest touchdown reception by a Steelers rookie and the longest touchdown from scrimmage by a Canadian-born player in NFL history.
The 84-yard touchdown is also the longest reception two weeks into the season.
Against the Broncos, Claypool had two additional catches for four yards and a total of 88 receiving yards, which was the second-most in the game behind only fellow Steeler Diontae Johnson.
For as spectacular as this touchdown catch was, it’s still not the most difficult reception of the season for the former Notre Dame wide receiver. Last weekend versus the New York Giants, Claypool drove for a ball thrown 28 yards downfield, into double coverage and near the sideline, yet he managed to tap both big toes inbounds for the reception.
The pass was thrown into such a tight window that NFL Next Gen Stats determined it had just a 13.8 percent chance of resulting in a completion, making it the most difficult catch of week one.
In that game, Claypool had two more offensive touches: an 11-yard reception and an eight-yard jet sweep.
On the season, he has 135 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. The 6-4, 238-pound receiver is also a menace on special teams, just as he was with the Fighting Irish, recording three tackles for the Steelers thus far.
“No preseason games allowed me to start easing into the plays, get some play here and there and then try to increase my role as the season goes on,” Claypool said. “But the speed of the game wasn’t too bad. I was on special teams for the very first point in my career, so it allowed me to see how everyone was moving and adjust when I went in there on offense.”
Claypool also did everything he could to prepare while away from the team over the summer. He was given the playbook during a virtual mini-camp, took it to an open field with a former coach and practiced his alignment and routes.
Through such an arduous process, Claypool assimilated himself into the offensive quicker than expected. During training camp, Roethlisberger admitted to the media he was surprised the rookie always knew where to line up.
His coaches notice his play as well.
“He’s a young guy who has some talent, is capable of stretching the field vertically,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “He’s put that on display, but we’ve always got a young guy in the hopper at that position that stretches the field for us. We’ve had that over a number of years, and he’s just the latest addition, but he’s not just a one-trick pony.
“He’s working to round out all aspects of his game and contribute to us in as many ways as he can.”
The advanced stats are even higher on Claypool than Tomlin is, at least publicly.
After week one, Claypool earned the highest Pro Football Focus grade amongst all rookies and, through week two, he’s PFF’s highest-grade receiver with at least 40 snaps played.
It appears he hopes his production on the field will contribute to his success and popularity away from football, and he’s prepared to profit because of it.
Over the summer, Claypool launched his own YouTube Channel, which now has 25,000 subscribers and the three videos he’s posted have more than 366,000 views combined.
He started another business venture with the creation of his own line of T-shirts, hoodies, face masks, caps, pants and more. Each item is branded with the “Mapletron” logo, a play on Calvin Johnson’s “Megatron” nickname.
Claypool and Johnson, a future Hall-of-Fame receiver and former standout for the Detroit Lions, are the only two wideouts since 2003 to run a sub-4.45 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine at 6-4 and at least 235 pounds.
In order for his popularity to continue to rise, Claypool must keep up his play on Sundays, a feat that should increase in difficulty as opponents view more of his film and he becomes a known commodity throughout the league.
“I think people will start taking notice, and then we're just going to have to start switching things up,” Claypool said, “but that’s never been a problem before.”
Former Notre Dame Football Players In The NFL: Week Two Recap
• Josh Adams (Played at Notre Dame from 2015-17), RB, New York Jets: Carried the ball once for zero yards in the Jets’ 31-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and also had one tackle on special teams … Has three carries for eight yards and a touchdown in two games played this season.
• Alex Bars (2014-18), OL, Chicago Bears: Played special teams in the Bears’ 17-13 win over the New York Giants.
• Asmar Bilal (2015-19), LB, Los Angeles Chargers: After getting called up to the active roster due to Drue Tranquill’s injury, Bilal played one special team snap in a 23-20 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
• Miles Boykin (2015-18), WR, Baltimore Ravens: On five targets had four catches for 38 yards in a 33-16 win over the Houston Texans … Has seven catches for 75 yards on the season.
He also had some pretty good blocks in the win over the Texans:
• Chase Claypool (2016-19), WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: Grabbed three receptions for 88 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown, in the Steelers’ 26-21 win over the Denver Broncos … He also had three special teams tackles … On the season, has five catches for 127 yards, a touchdown and eight rushing yards … Has caught every pass thrown his way.
• Tyler Eifert (2009-12), TE, Jacksonville Jaguars: Started and had three catches on six targets for 36 yards and a touchdown in a 33-30 loss to the Tennessee Titans … On the season, has four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.
• Matthias Farley (2011-15), DB, New York Jets: Played special teams in the Jets’ 31-13 loss to the 49ers.
• Will Fuller V (2013-15), WR, Houston Texans: Carried the ball once for zero yards and was not targeted in the passing game … Has eight catches for 112 yards this season.
• Alohi Gilman (2017-19), S, Los Angeles Chargers: Played special teams in an overtime loss to the Chiefs.
• J.J. Jansen (2004-07), LS, Charlotte Panthers: Played special teams in the Panthers’ 31-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Khalid Kareem (2016-19), DE, Cincinnati Bengals: Had one tackle in the Bengals’ 35-30 loss to the Cleveland Browns … He also had a late hit on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, which inspired some cheers and some jeers:
• Cole Kmet (2017-19), TE, Chicago Bears: Snagged his first career catch for 12 yards in the Bears’ 17-13 win over the Giants.
• Julian Love (2015-18), DB, New York Giants: Finished with five tackles (one for loss), one pass deflection and an interception in the Giants loss to the Bears … On the season, has seven tackles (one for loss), one pass deflection and a pick.
• Nick Martin (2011-15), OL, Houston Texans: Played every offensive snap at center in the loss to the Ravens and did not allow a quarterback pressure.
• Zack Martin (2009-13), OL, Dallas Cowboys: Started at right guard in Dallas’ 40-39 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
He was also recently profiled by The Dallas News:
• Mike McGlinchey (2013-17), OL, San Francisco 49ers: Continued to start at right tackle in the 49ers’ 31-13 win over the Jets … Is a dominant run blocker, who gets upfield, but apparently needs to work on his pass blocking … He allowed three quarterback pressures in the game.
• Quenton Nelson (2014-17), OL, Indianapolis Colts: Started and played every snap in the Colts’ 28-11 win over the Vikings.
• Julian Okwara (2016-19), DE, Detroit Lions: Was inactive for the Lions’ 42-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
• Romeo Okwara (2012-15), DE, Detroit Lions: Finished with four tackles (one for loss) in the Lions’ defeat at the hands of the Packers.
• Troy Pride Jr. (2016-19), CB, Carolina Panthers: After starting in week one, played just eight defensive snaps and had one tackle in the loss to the Buccaneers.
• Isaac Rochell (2013-16), DE, Los Angeles Chargers: Came up with two tackles in the Chargers’ loss to the Chiefs … Has four tackles on the season.
• Kyle Rudolph (2008-10), TE, Minnesota Vikings: Targeted once in the Vikings’ loss to the Colts … On the season, has two catches for 28 yards.
• Harrison Smith (2007-11), S, Minnesota Vikings: Had five tackles (one for loss) and a pass deflection in the Vikings’ loss to the Colts … On the season, has eight tackles (one for loss) and a pass deflection.
• Jaylon Smith (2013-15), LB, Dallas Cowboys: Led the Cowboys in tackles with 13 in the team’s win over the Falcons … He also had one tackle for loss and a pass deflection … On the season, has 23 tackles (tied for third in the NFL), one TFL and two pass deflections.
He also showed considerable signs of improvement in week two:
• Durham Smythe (2013-17), TE, Miami Dolphins: Was not targeted in Miami’s 31-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
• Ronnie Stanley (2012-15), OL, Baltimore Ravens: Was questionable prior to the Ravens’ win over the Texans, but ended up starting and playing every offensive snap.
• Golden Tate (2007-09), WR, New York Giants: After missing the season opener, was targeted five times for five catches and 47 yards in the Giants’ loss to the Bears … During the game, he also wore shoes in remembrance of Kobe Bryant and Chadwick Boseman:
• Jerry Tillery (2015-18), DL, Los Angeles Chargers: Had another strong game in the loss to the Chiefs with one tackle, two quarterback hits and a blocked point after try … On the season, has three tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and four quarterback hits.
• Drue Tranquill (2014-18), LB, Los Angeles Chargers: Broke his ankle in week one and is out indefinitely.
• Stephon Tuitt (2011-13), DL, Pittsburgh Steelers: Finished with one tackle and three quarterback hits in the Steelers’ win over the Broncos … Has two tackles, one sack and four quarterback hits on the season.
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