Mike Williams made a loud introduction to the Pittsburgh Steelers, catching a 32-yard touchdown pass to beat the Washington Commanders in Week 10. His last two encore performances have been quiet. Against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Williams was used on 25 empty plays, failing to catch a pass or be targeted. The same story played out on a snowy field in Cleveland Thursday night. Per PFF, he logged 19 snaps against the Browns and finished with an identical stat line. Zero catches, zero targets.
That means through three games, Williams has just one target, that 32-yard touchdown. While it’s a slow start, Williams has still only been with the Steelers for barely more than two weeks. Because of the Thursday-to-Sunday turnaround, an abridged schedule didn’t help matters. Pittsburgh only held two practices this week with the Tuesday session reportedly being a late workout, the focus on keeping guys rested and healthy before a physical AFC North battle.
The good news is WRs Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III made plays they didn’t a week ago. Jefferson finished the game with two receptions for 39 yards while Austin led the way with 78 yards and one touchdown on three catches, including a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter before Pittsburgh blew the lead. That makes Mike Williams’ lack of involvement more palatable, though it’s not clear how the Steelers plan to get him more consistently involved in the offense.
As defenses play two-high shells to take away the deep ball along the sideline, Williams becomes less of a target. It’s one reason why Austin had success being split coverage against the Browns. In the moment the trade happened, it was clear Williams wasn’t going to be a high target player in Pittsburgh’s run-heavy offense. Only Pickens receives a consistent amount of looks. Williams’ job was going to be to capitalize on the few moments he would be given. So far, he’s 1-for-1. But soon enough, the Steelers will need more plays from him to justify their investment. EDGE Preston Smith has offered more in his deadline deal than Williams.
That isn’t necessarily Williams’ fault but it’s something that will be closely monitored in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals where another goose egg would raise serious eyebrows. Pittsburgh will have 10 days to come up with a plan.
