If you hold the title of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator, chances are, you’re going to take some heat from time to time. That was the case for Arthur Smith after Week 11 versus the Baltimore Ravens.
Despite the integral win over the division rival, the Steelers offense failed to get into the end zone. The Pittsburgh passing attack led by quarterback Russell Wilson also struggled throughout the game (4 sacks allowed, 67.5 passer rating, QBR of 14.4 out of 100) — especially considering the fact that they were facing the league’s worst-ranked passing defense heading into the weekend.
With all that in mind, the total disappearance of wide receiver trade acquisition Mike Williams was a bit of a head-scratcher.
“Remember when Mike Williams scored the game-winning touchdown against the Washington Commanders? Apparently, Arthur Smith doesn’t,” Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine criticized at the start of Week 12.
“The Steelers’ newest receiver caught the game-winner last week but was a non-factor in this week’s game,” he explained. “The 6’5″ Williams is an ideal receiver to pair with Russell Wilson because of his ability to go up and get 50-50 balls. Yet, the Steelers played him just 25 snaps and didn’t target him once.”
To make matters worse, outside of George Pickens, there was virtually zero impact from Pittsburgh wide receivers against the Ravens. As Ballentine mentioned, Williams was not targeted, while Ben Skowronek caught his only target for 4 yards and Van Jefferson came up empty on his lone receiving opportunity.
Finally, fellow WR Calvin Austin III caught 1-of-2 targets for negative yardage.
To put it simply, the Steelers WR corps was Pickens or nothing in Week 11 once again. That has to change if Pittsburgh has serious Super Bowl aspirations.
NFL Insider Offers Frustrating Note About Mike Williams’ Limited Snap Count vs. Ravens
On November 20, ESPN NFL insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano put together an article detailing their latest “buzz” and predictions ahead of Week 12. Within it, Graziano offered a brief explanation on Williams.
“The Steelers expect Mike Williams to play a role for them at some point this season, but they’re bringing him along slowly and planning to incorporate him into the offense more and more in the coming weeks,” Graziano wrote.
Adding: “He was only in the game to catch the winning touchdown against Washington two weeks ago because of an injury to Calvin Austin III, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him more limited this past week in what was Russell Wilson’s roughest game so far as the team’s starting quarterback.”
In other words, Williams’ usage is shaping up to be Roman Wilson all over again.
After missing most of training camp, the entire preseason and part of the regular season with injury, the promising rookie wideout was generally a healthy scratch upon his return. Smith and head coach Mike Tomlin are unlikely to go that far with Williams, but the hesitance to find ways of incorporating talent is frustrating to say the least. Especially when the Steelers wide receivers continue to fall flat.
“On a short week, in potentially bad weather against Cleveland on Thursday, I wouldn’t expect a ton from Williams,” Graziano concluded, “but it’s coming [eventually].”
Browns Defense Could Give Steelers Offense Trouble on Thursday Night Football
Similar to Baltimore, the Cleveland Browns defense may not rank high in 2024, but Steelers fans know they’ll come out motivated against a division rival. And with players like Myles Garrett and Dalvin Tomlinson attacking Russell Wilson and his offensive line, this unit could present some problems for Pittsburgh.
Three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward will likely be tasked with pinning down Pickens, and that’s no easy matchup. Needless to say, it will be crucial for the Steelers that one or two other pass-catchers step up.
Williams could help with that, if he’s deployed. If not, this could end up being another defensive slugfest that’s much closer than it should be.
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