Following his game-winning touchdown catch against the Washington Commanders in his first game as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, expectations were high for veteran wide receiver Mike Williams.
Two games, 44 total snaps and just one target — on a failed Hail Mary in Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns — later, Williams’ impact has been next to nothing, which has led to quite a bit of frustration from the media and fan base regarding the Steelers’ usage of the big, physical receiver.
That should all change in Week 13 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. Coming off a mini-bye week following their Thursday Night Football game, the Steelers and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith have had plenty of time to try and find ways to get Williams more involved.
Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up Friday morning, former NFL GM Mikw Tannenbaum highlighted Williams as a guy who will make a big statement this week.
“Where you look at the Bengals all year, they’ve struggled on defense. They’re 31st in red-zone defense. What does Mike Williams do? What we’re watching, he catches touchdowns,” Tannenbaum said, according to video via ESPN. “He’s averaging 15 yards per reception. So I think this is a great matchup for the big physical receivers of the Steelers, and in particular, Mike Williams has a big statement.”
It sure would be nice if Williams has a big statement against the Bengals because Pittsburgh is undoubtedly going to need him in the AFC North matchup.
While the Bengals have been largely a disaster defensively, they still have some talented players in the secondary who can hold their own. Rookie Josh Newton is coming on very strong while Cam Taylor-Britt is a big-play defensive back. Coming into the game, though, the Bengals are allowing 225.6 passing yards per game, 10th worst in the NFL.
Add the 31st-ranked red-zone defense, and the Bengals are a real mess on that side of the football and are susceptible to the big play. That’s where Williams comes in.
It’s worth noting that Tannenbaum believed that Williams was going to have a huge game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11, something that didn’t come to fruition as he didn’t see a single target in 25 snaps. But maybe that changes this week, especially with the amount of attention the Bengals will likely pay to George Pickens on the other side.
Williams has started slowly with the Steelers, but he has plenty of snaps and time under his belt with them to now be able to contribute at a higher level. Hopefully QB Russell Wilson looks his way more often this week, and Arthur Smith finds ways to get him touches to get him more involved offensively, especially in the red zone.
It would be nice for him to make a big statement Sunday on the road in a tough divisional matchup.
