In the last two games, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant has caught seven passes with three of those resulting in touchdowns. With his two touchdown catches Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, Bryant became the first Steelers wide receiver to accomplish such a feat since Mike Wallace caught two in the 2009 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Even though Bryant’s starting to become a fixture now in the Steelers offense after being inactive for the first six games of the season, he said after the Sunday’s win over the Colts that he’s not getting too comfortable with his situation.
“I’m putting in a lot of work in practice and I’m just trying to go out in the game and execute the plan,” said Bryant, who was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth-round this past May. “I’m going to put in more work in practice and just continue to go out and play my best.”
Bryant’s ability to stretch the field seems to have loosened things up in opposing secondaries for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the last two games. He had a long catch Sunday of 52 yards in addition to scoring both of his touchdowns inside the red zone. That’s an area where the Steelers have struggled so far this season.
Despite his success now in two straight games, head coach Mike Tomlin conceded after the win Sunday that while his young receiver is growing, he still has a ways to go as they continue to put more on him.
“We’re playing package football with him,” said Tomlin of Bryant. “He’s got to continue to come to work every day and round out all elements of his game. But he was a positive contributor to us tonight and it was much needed.”
Like Tomlin, Roethlisberger also believes Bryant’s contributions were big Sunday.
“He’s making plays for us and that’s what we need,” said Roethlisberger. “He still left some out there, and he knows it. It was far from a perfect game for him, for me and for everybody.”
