When Donte Moncrief watched the New England Patriots game film and saw the number of passes he dropped, the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver felt it in the pit of his stomach.
“It’s sickening when you watch it and you know the plays you were supposed to make and you didn’t make them,” said Moncrief, who had three catches for 7 yards on 10 targets in the 33-3 loss Sunday night in the season opener at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
“You see them and you’re like, ‘Gosh, I’ve got to make that.’ … I went home and went straight to sleep. It hurt me so I had to put that away. It’s a new week. It’s time to go.”
The Steelers signed Moncrief to a two-year, $9 million free-agent deal this offseason to become their No. 2 receiver after they traded Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders.
But his debut was a disaster, as Moncrief was credited with four dropped passes, including a crucial one on a fourth-and-1 at the Patriots’ 47 that forced a turnover on downs.
That’s more drops than Moncrief had all of last season, but he refused to blame it on the dislocated middle finger on his left hand that he injured during training camp in late July.
“You can’t just put it on that. It’s that, but I’ve got to make plays, period,” Moncrief said. “You’ve got to go with it. Whether it’s hurting or not, you’ve still got to play.”
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