Following each game in the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers season, I will highlight the event or string of events in the game that is the turning point. Not all turning points will be earth-shattering but are meant to give a unique look at how we arrived at the outcome of the game, one that may be hard to see during the live watch.
The turning point of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Sunday win over the Baltimore Ravens might feel obvious. Miles Killebrew’s punt block or Joey Porter Jr.’s end-zone interception seem to be in a two-way tie for the “point” of the game. And you’d be more than justified in selecting either.
But I’ll zig where others zag. The unconventional choice. And it’s fitting because I’m talking about TE Rodney Williams, an unconventional player with the road not taken to the NFL. If it wasn’t for him, a name you’re probably looking up to check to see if he’s really on the roster, we’re definitely not talking about Porter’s first interception and probably wallowing in a loss than savoring a victory.
Williams, essentially a college receiver from UT-Martin, entered training camp as the fifth-string tight end on the team’s 90-man roster. The forgotten man behind starter Pat Freiermuth, shiny new rookie Darnell Washington, Connor “Meatball” Heyward, and team jokester Zach Gentry, Williams quietly had a strong summer. He found the end zone five times in camp, as often as anyone not named Washington or George Pickens, and played well on the coverage units inside stadiums. He did enough to hang around and make the practice squad.
If you’re not a stud or blue-chip guy, that’s sorta your NFL mission. Hang around. Don’t lose access to a locker room. You might grind it out on the scout team practice squad, you might drive that old beat-up Volvo to the same parking lot with Bentleys in it but you’re in the hunt. You’re one moment away from your turn.
That’s what Williams did. He hung around. Once Freiermuth went down with a hamstring injury in Week Four, Williams earned the spot on the 53-man roster. He dressed for his first NFL game Sunday and though he didn’t play on offense — he lacks the blocking ability to wear that hat — he saw work on special teams.
His action Sunday will be best remembered for his almost-touchdown off Killebrew’s blocked punt. Inches shy from recovering the ball with his body in the end zone. That would’ve been a moment. Alas, it became a safety, not a touchdown, and Williams’ moment will always be “almost.”
No. The play we’re talking about is one of the worst moments of the game. With the Steelers sown 10-8, backup punt returner Gunner Olszewski fumbled – again – in the closing stages of the fourth quarter. Veteran Ravens DB Kevon Seymour scooped the ball up and had a path to the end zone. If he finds paydirt, it’s 17-8, a two-score game, and for the Steelers’ offense with that kind of time left, it might as well been a 30-score game. The comeback wasn’t happening.
Enter Williams. Flipping the switch from “let me block for Gunner” to “I gotta make a tackle” Williams got in the way. He barreled his way through the convoy forming around Seymour and managed to slow and trip him up at the Steelers’ seven. No doubt, it was still a moment that’ll make your heart sink. But what does Mike Tomlin say? Have blades of grass to defend. That’s what Williams did. He gave Pittsburgh’s defense a chance to make the stop.
I’m filling in for Tyler Wise this week but credit to him for pointing it out. Take a look.
Three players later, Porter picked off his first pass, giving the Steelers the ball back and Olszewski the biggest sigh of relief in this hemisphere. They finally took advantage, putting the ball in the end zone with a 41-yard George Pickens touchdown. It was an ugly win but those are so much better than even the prettiest loss.
To beat the Ravens, it’s an every-man job. Everyone puts their hand in the pile. From established stars like OLB T.J. Watt to rookies like Porter to the unknown names like Williams, everyone’s gotta bring something to the table. No one puts on their highlight reel the “touchdown-saving tackle off a fumbled punt” but sometimes, you’re the poor soul put in position to make that play. Williams became the man in that moment. And he truly saved the day.
