Pittsburgh Steelers WR Van Jefferson saw three targets last Sunday, resulting in one reception. Fortunately for him and the Steelers, it turned out to be a 43-yarder. Unfortunately, it probably should have been more than that. While many observed as much during the game, Jefferson himself acknowledged it speaking to reporters Wednesday. But more importantly, he talked about the positive impact a big play can have on a playmaker.
“It does a lot to the confidence”, Jefferson said of his 43-yard catch, via the Steelers’ website. “Obviously, it’s one play. You want to do it again and keep doing it. I think if I would’ve kept running straight I might [or] would’ve scored. But it was a good play. Not taking anything from it. But [I’m] always so grateful for those times, those plays. They don’t come often, so just excited to get that done. But obviously it puts my confidence up high, yeah”.
Despite his 518 snaps played this season, Van Jefferson only has 17 catches. He has gotten 29 targets, or barely one every 20 snaps. The Steelers simply do not use him as a primary, secondary, or even tertiary receiving option.
All told, Jefferson has 17 catches for 221 yards and one touchdown. That is at least an improvement upon what he managed last season between the Rams and Falcons. With the latter, Steelers OC Arthur Smith was his head coach, and he has used Jefferson a lot.
While his snap count is high, it is George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, and Pat Freiermuth who see the most targets for the Steelers. RBs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren also have just as big a role in the passing game, and TE Darnell Washington has similar production as well.
But all Van Jefferson can do is make the most out of the snaps he gets, whether that includes a target or not. The Steelers use him a lot to do some of the dirty work, although recently Ben Skowronek has contributed similarly.
While Jefferson was grateful for the opportunity to make a big play for the Steelers, he also knows he probably made a mistake trying to do too much, and in the process doing less than he could have. It is true that if he continued to push ahead, he may have scored.
Instead, the Bengals brought Jefferson down at the 15-yard line, and the Steelers stalled with under four minutes to go. They ultimately settled for a Chris Boswell field goal, making it 44-31. But a 48-31 lead would have pushed it to a three-possession game and prevented a tense final few minutes. When you are facing a great offense, you have to make every opportunity count. I suspect Jefferson won’t make the same mistake next time.
