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The Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed a crucial 17-10 win over the New England Patriots that have put them in the driver seat to secure the AFC North division title and a playoff berth.
This was a matchup that saw Steelers' rookie wide receiver James Washington finally break through with a strong outing as he had three catches for 65 receiving yards. Following the game, star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger spoke highly of Washington's performance, via Bryan Deardo of 247 Sports.
“I thought James kind of answered the challenge. He made some big plays for us today. He made some big plays for us last week even though he lost. We weren't talking about his catch and lateral he made [on the final offensive play during Pittsburgh's Week 14 loss to the Oakland Raiders]. That wasn't easy. Today he made some big plays for us and I hope he continues to grow because that's what I said when I said that a few weeks ago. He just needs that confidence in himself because I have confidence in him. I wouldn't throw him the ball if I didn't believe in him, so it looks like his confidence is coming back, which is important.”
Washington has had his fair share ups and downs in his rookie campaign that has seen him struggle to find his spots in the passing game behind Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster. He was able to make the most of his limited role on Sunday as he had a huge 32-yard reception that he was able to make in tight coverage down the field.
It was an encouraging outing that showed that Washington could make big plays down the field, which may become a bigger factor come playoff time. The fact that the Steelers have continued to go to him shows that they have confidence he can become a key part of the passing game. He currently has 13 catches for 165 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The last two weeks of the regular season will be an opportunity for him to build on his best performance of his rookie campaign.
