The Pittsburg Steelers attempted to fill a hole in their wide receiver room when they acquired Mike Williams at the trade deadline. They saw immediate returns during Sunday's 28-27 win over the red-hot Washington Commanders.
Trailing 27-21 on a 3rd and 9 with 2:27 remaining, Russell Wilson faded back against a Washington blitz and lofted a deep ball to Williams, who ran under it and made an over-the-shoulder catch to give Pittsburg the lead. After a defensive stop, the Steelers would run out the clock to secure their fourth-straight victory.
“It was a big-time catch by Mike,” Wilson said via the team’s website. “I just tried to give him a chance, you know, and let him do his thing. The guy had 1000-yard seasons over his career. A guy whose made plays, a guy who’s faced adversity. You love it when guys face adversity and they come through on the other end of it.”
Williams didn't have time to learn the Steelers' entire offensive playbook, having been with the team for less than a week before the matchup. However, recognizing one-on-one coverage, Wilson directed the veteran wideout to run a go-route on the game-deciding play. Following the win, Williams admitted it was the first time he had run the route as a member of the Steelers.
Mike Williams showing immediate returns after Steelers trade
Before acquiring Williams, Pittsburg had struggled to find receiver production behind George Pickens, who had 35 catches for 538 yards and a touchdown at the time of the trade. The team's next most productive receiver was Calvin Austin III, who had recorded 14 catches for 257 yards and two scores.
As a result, the Steelers were active on the wide receiver market at this year's deadline. They reportedly checked in on Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf and several other pass-catchers before trading a 2025 fifth-round pick to the New York Jets for Williams. The eight-year veteran had been relatively uninvolved in New York's offense, catching 12-of-21 targets for 166 yards.
However, based on past production, the Steelers took a bet on his upside. Williams played just three games with the Los Angeles Chargers last season before tearing his ACL. However, he had been among the most productive receivers in the NFL over the four seasons prior, catching 236 passes for 3,798 yards and 20 touchdowns.
He now adds an experienced weapon with great size (6-foot-4, 218 lbs) and ball skills to the Steelers' receiving room.
Pittsburg's offense has taken off since head coach Mike Tomlin benched Justin Fields in favor of Wilson. The nine-time Pro Bowl signal-caller has completed 50-of-85 passes for 737 yards with six touchdowns and one interception in three wins as the team's starter. Wilson ranks eighth in EPA per dropback (0.19) among 41 quarterbacks with at least 50 pass attempts this season, according to nfelo.com.
Following Williams' heroics, the Steelers hold a half-game lead on the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North. They'll have a chance to put themselves in the driver's seat for a division title when they host Baltimore in Week 11.