In a last-second turn of events, George Pickens did not play against the Cleveland Browns Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers still won, 27-14, overcoming the absence of Pickens, who is nursing a hamstring injury. Multiple players had to step up in his stead, including Mike Williams. Williams made several big catches, but things didn’t start great for him. On the first real shot down the field to him, he was called for offensive pass interference. However, it sounds like he still doesn’t agree with that call.
“Had a few big plays, one of them was a [pass interference],” Williams said after the game via the team’s YouTube channel. “I don’t know how. I’m just a big guy, you feel me?”
Williams ended the day with three catches for 36 yards. However, that pass interference call robbed him of 26 more yards, and it came with around six minutes left in the second quarter. The Steelers were just past midfield, and that catch would have set them up in the red zone had it stood.
In real time, it did seem like Williams pushed the Browns’ cornerback down. It’s tough to fault the official for making that call. Maybe the corner did fall more than Williams pushed him, but at full speed, it’s tough to pick up on that. It certainly wasn’t the worst call the officiating crew made in the game.
Williams continued explaining what he felt was going on during that play.
“I’m just trying to feel where he’s at, and then just stop for the ball. It is what it is,” he said. “They’ve got a job to do also. Made up for it on that third down.”
It doesn’t sound like Williams is too frustrated. That’s likely because the Steelers ultimately got the win, and Williams had a hand in it. That third-down play he made was crucial for the Steelers. It came on their final scoring drive, and they were facing a third-and-six around midfield. Williams made a huge catch for 22 yards to get them out of that jam.
As costly as they can be, penalties are part of football. Sometimes, they can be aggravating, but that’s just part of the game. Every team deals with bad calls. It’s how you respond that really matters. Williams responded well, so whether that penalty was a good call or not doesn’t really matter.
The Steelers got the win, and now they need to prepare for arguably the toughest part of their schedule.
