It didn’t take long for the receiver the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired at the NFL trade deadline to make an impact. Newly acquired wideout Mike Williams only had 1 catch on 1 target during his Steelers debut in Week 10. But his lone catch went for a 32-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
That score proved to be the difference. With the touchdown and extra point just before the 2-minute warning, the Steelers edged the Washington Commanders 28-27.
The touchdown came just five days after the Steelers acquired Williams from the New York Jets. That didn’t give the 30-year-old receiver a lot of practice time with his new quarterback before his debut.
In fact, after the game, Williams revealed that he didn’t practice the route where he scored his touchdown during his first week in Pittsburgh.
“I didn’t run it one time,” Williams told reporters, via The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo.
Before getting traded on November 5, Williams didn’t have a single touchdown in nine games with the New York Jets this season. He only had 1 score with his former team, the Los Angeles Chargers, last year.
But if Week 10 is any indication, Williams is set to have a significant role with the Steelers during the second half of the 2024 campaign.
Steelers Suffer WR Injury Just Prior to Williams TD
On one hand, it’s a little hard to believe that the Steelers would ask Williams to run a route he didn’t practice with the team yet. But he may have done so out of necessity.
Pittsburgh’s second-leading receiver, Calvin Austin, hauled in a 13-yard completion with 4:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. After the play, the officials stopped the game to escort Austin to the sideline, possibly to be checked for a concussion.
The Steelers converted third-and-3 on the next play. But another three plays later, they faced third-and-9. Facing heavy pressure on the play, quarterback Russell Wilson backed up to avoid the rush and threw a heave down the sideline.
Williams brought in the pass in the end zone.
The play was only Williams’ ninth snap of the game. Despite his lack of practicing that route in Pittsburgh, it’s possible Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith doesn’t make that play call if Austin is still in the game.
Russell Wilson Addresses Williams’ Game-Winning TD
Wilson, who had 3 touchdown passes in the victory, made a tremendous play to avoid the rush on the game-winning throw to Mike Williams. But afterwards, he gave all the credit to the Steelers new receiver.
“It was a big-time catch by Mike. I just tried to give him a chance and let him do his thing,” Wilson told reporters. “The guy that’s had three plus-1,000-yard receiving seasons over his career. A guy who’s made plays, a guy who’s faced adversity.
“You love it when guys face adversity and they come through it on the other end.”
The touchdown pass is a perfect microcosm of Wilson’s first three starts with the Steelers. Things haven’t always looked pretty for Wilson, but he’s often given the Pittsburgh playmakers chances to make big plays.
As a result, the Steelers young weapons are beginning to shine. Their newest veteran pass-catcher did that with the game on the line in Week 10.
“You gotta love clutch moments,” Wilson told reporters. “When you’ve got guys who can make plays and do things for you. First of all, Big Mike over there. We just traded for him, tremendous football player.
“We got GP (George Pickens) on the right, Van [Jefferson] on the right. Pat [Freiermuth] showed up in big ways. Guys just stepped up in key moments. Just another great moment.”
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New Steelers WR Mike Williams Spills Truth on Game-Winning TD vs. Commanders