Christopher Carter is betting on Pat Freiermuth to make an immediate impact Sunday, predicting the tight end will catch a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons. Carter said Freiermuth’s score could help Pittsburgh open up its offense and keep the run and pass games working together.
That is why Freiermuth is suddenly a focus again. He has already shown he can change a game, and last October he turned in a two-touchdown, 111-yard performance against Cincinnati. He also has recent timing with Aaron Rodgers, who found him for a 23-yard touchdown during a first-team two-minute drill in training camp and connected with him for multiple regular-season touchdowns in 2025.
Carter’s read is rooted in what Pittsburgh is trying to become. The Steelers want more than one path to move the ball, and Freiermuth fits that idea because he can force defenders to account for the middle of the field. Carter said he sees that happening early, adding, “I’m going to have Pat Freiermuth catching a touchdown,” and that Freiermuth could “break some things open” so the balance of the run game and pass game can work together.
The bet also comes with a reason for caution. Freiermuth’s production dipped in the 2025 season, when he caught 41 passes for 486 yards and four touchdowns after posting 65 receptions, 653 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. That drop does not erase the fit, but it does show why Pittsburgh cannot assume volume will naturally return just because the offense has more names on the board.
Freiermuth recently hinted that Pittsburgh’s hidden offense has more in it than the team showed during the preseason, a comment that matches the picture Carter is painting. The Steelers have multiple weapons around Rodgers, including DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., and that gives them room to move pieces around instead of forcing the ball to one spot.
For now, the cleaner answer is that Freiermuth looks like a real part of the Week 1 plan, not a side note. If Carter is right, the tight end’s touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons would be less about one isolated play than a sign that Pittsburgh is ready to use its offense the way it believes it can. Carter has them winning 27-16, and Freiermuth may be the player who helps make that margin believable.
