The news that third-year standout receiver George Pickens was going to be inactive Sunday against the Cleveland Browns was a big blow for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it quickly shifted into that “next man up” mentality.
Specifically, that next man up was Scotty Miller, who came up big for the Steelers on Sunday in the 27-14 win over the Browns. The win improved Pittsburgh to 10-3 on the season and eliminated the Browns from the playoff picture in the process.
Miller, who hadn’t gotten a helmet on gameday since Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens, came up large with a 21-yard catch down the Steelers’ sideline, getting his feet inbounds on a great throw from Russell Wilson to move the chains when the Steelers needed it most.
For Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin, all he could do after the game was tip his cap to Miller, who finished the win with three receptions for 38 yards.
“Scotty made some plays for us and thankful for that. That’s another example of the team component of this game, man. You can waste a lot of time worried about the guys that are unavailable to you,” Tomlin said of Miller, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “We choose to focus our energies on the guys that are available to us, their preparedness, and then ultimately their play.
“Tip of the cap to Scotty Miller, man, stepping up and making some big plays for us.”
Coming into the matchup against the Browns, Miller had just two receptions for 31 yards on the season, all of which came on four targets. Those two receptions for 31 yards came in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, and he had two more targets in Week 8 against the New York Giants.
Since then, Miller has largely been invisible, being listed as inactive in three of the last four games until Sunday.
Getting his opportunity again, Miller made the most of it. He had four targets on the day and made some key plays, including the 21-yarder down the left sideline.
Facing a 3rd and 7 from the Steelers’ 33-yard line, Miller beat Cleveland cornerback Martin Emerson on a fade route and hauled in the perfectly-placed ball from Wilson to move the chains. Though the drive ultimately stalled due to a bad fumble from backup running back Cordarrelle Patterson, the catch by Miller was a massive play for the Steelers and was desperately needed.
On a day in which the Steelers were without their No. 1 receiver in Pickens, a guy who strikes fears into the defense, Miller came up big when it mattered most and helped lead the Steelers to a much-needed win at home.
As the great Hines Ward used to say, all you can do is take your hat off and hand it to him. Well done, Scotty.
