Is Pat Freiermuth playing today? Steelers tight end ends first half vs. Giants with no targets | Sporting News United Kingdom

The Steelers and Giants combined for 400 yards of offense in the first half of their Week 8 ‘Monday Night Football’ game, but neither team went into halftime with a touchdown.

Pittsburgh started quarterback Russell Wilson for the second consecutive game. Of the two options between him and Justin Fields, the backup has the edge on the ground using his legs. Wilson’s strengths are supposed to be his passing and his ability to spread the ball around. 

Wilson completed 12 passes in the first half to seven different pass-catchers. When the dust settled, starting tight end Pat Freiermuth was missing from the box score, though.

We look at the veteran TE’s slow start on Monday night.

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Is Pat Freiermuth playing?

Yes! Freiermuth is playing in the game. He has run several routes but has been used mostly as a blocker. Freiermuth helped spring Jalen Warren for a big gain on a long third-down play in the second quarter. This doesn’t show up on the stat sheet or in fantasy football matchups, but Freiermuth is out there nonetheless. 

It was a tough first half for Freiermuth since it was National Tight Ends Day yesterday. It felt like every tight end who played on Sunday was force-fed the ball so announcers could talk about it every five seconds, but that is in the past. Wilson didn’t look Freiermuth’s way in the first but did find backup tight ends Darnell Washington and MyCole Pruitt for a single reception apiece. 

Is Pat Freiermuth injured?

Freiermuth is playing his usual allotment of snaps, finishing with a team-high 23 among TEs in the first half.

Steelers halftime TE snap count

Pat Freiermuth 23
Darnell Washington 14
Connor Heyward 8
MyCole Pruitt 5

Out of 37 plays

— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 29, 2024

Pat Freiermuth stats vs. Giants

Freiermuth is yet to make his mark on the official stat sheet, failing to record even a target in the first half vs. New York.