The Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed a huge win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and did it behind a massive offensive performance. The unit has gotten some slack the past few weeks after struggling a bit against the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. However, they got back to their winning ways by spreading the ball around a bit this week. A whopping 10 different Steelers caught a pass on Sunday, except for Mike Williams.
Of course, the Steelers’ best offensive weapons, like George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth, and the running back duo of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, were all involved in the passing game. However, Russell Wilson shared the love beyond just them. Everyone from Ben Skowronek, Van Jefferson, and even MyCole Pruitt was able to grab a reception.
Noticeably left out of that club once again was Williams. That was the third straight game in which Williams was kept off the stat sheet. That’s got legendary former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a bit confused. Roethlisberger spoke about that on Tuesday’s episode of Footbahlin.
“Where’s Mike Williams been?” Roethlisberger asked. “What are we trading for? What’s going on? Is there a reason he’s not on the field? Is he not getting it? Are we just not utilizing him? Like, he’s on the field and we just aren’t throwing it to him… Utilizing different guys is great, but we still need a weapon on the outside.”
There are a lot of questions from Roethlisberger there, but they are reasonable. Since joining the Steelers at the trade deadline, Williams still only has one target and one catch. While that catch is a large part of why the Steelers have nine wins instead of eight, he’s noticeably been left out of the offense. In a game where 10 of his teammates caught a pass, it’s strange that he couldn’t join them. Fortunately, Williams seems more focused on the team’s success than himself.
The Steelers are also stressing patience. Williams was on the field for 19 plays on Sunday, just 28 percent of the team’s 69 total snaps. During his four games in Pittsburgh, Williams has only been on the field for 24 percent of the Steelers’ snaps. Spreading the ball around shows signs of a well-functioning offense. The Steelers also played against a team that’s given up the second-most points in the NFL, though. Against tougher opponents down the stretch, Pittsburgh will need Williams to be more involved.
