Coming into their Sunday game against the Washington Commanders, it was unclear what kind of role WR Mike Williams would play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Williams had only been with the Steelers for a few days, so it’s likely he didn’t have a full grasp of the offense yet. However, that didn’t stop him from making the play of a back-and-forth game. Williams managed to catch the 32-yard touchdown pass that won the Steelers the game after QB Russell Wilson made a late adjustment to his route.
“I kind of had an idea,” Williams said after the Steelers’ 28-27 win via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s YouTube channel when asked if he knew the ball was coming to him on that play. “It wasn’t aligned for me to be over there. [Wilson] told me to go over there, so I kind of had an idea that the ball was gonna be up. So I ran the route and just checked the air and caught the ball.”
That’s certainly a surprising revelation, which speaks to Wilson’s veteran wisdom. He must have seen something in the coverage the Commanders were running that made him feel comfortable that Williams was going to be in a one-on-one matchup. Thank goodness he made that change, otherwise the Steelers might have lost.
It sounds like Wilson changed the play at the line of scrimmage, but Williams further elaborated on how his touchdown came to be.
“It wasn’t at the line of scrimmage. It was just what we talked about on the sideline,” he said. “I went to run this route, I think [Calvin Austin III] went out. He was running that route the whole week. He actually ran it earlier in the game, but it was for him, and he was out. I went in there and made a play.”
Austin did leave the game just a handful of plays before that touchdown, so someone needed to step up in his place. Williams was that man. Despite just joining the team, it seems Wilson has nothing but trust in Williams. The Steelers did call a timeout right before that touchdown, and it seems like that may have made all the difference.
It’s probable that during that break was when Wilson made the change and moved Williams in the formation. That decision paid dividends because it was a key play that helped the Steelers win the game. It gave them a one-point lead with just over two minutes to go and the defense held on as the Steelers improved to 7-2.
It was unfortunate that Austin got injured, but it’s reassuring that Williams was ready to step up. After all, he revealed that was the first time he’d ran that route with the Steelers.
“None. I didn’t run it one time,” he said.
He only recorded that one catch, but that’s a fantastic way for Williams to begin his Steelers tenure. He’s built trust with Wilson and the team. Going forward, his role with the team should only grow. Hopefully Austin gets healthy soon, but if he doesn’t, Williams gives the Steelers quality veteran depth. Trading for him is already paying off.
