The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a huge win in Week 10 over the Washington Commanders. During his postgame press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin said that it was a true team win, and it was. There weren't just one or two players that put the team on their backs. Instead, the black and gold seemed to get everyone involved, including their two new trade acquisitions, wide receiver Mike Williams and linebacker Preston Smith.
Third-year receiver George Pickens continued showing why he is quarterback Russell Wilson's favorite target. He had five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown, averaging 18.2 yards per reception. This was Wilson's third game for the Steelers, and he did a remarkable job keeping his cool during a challenging game that saw multiple lead changes and a better Commanders defense than expected.
Wilson got the ball to several receivers besides Pickens, including Calvin Austin III, Jaylen Warren, and Pat Freiermuth. Williams even saw action with one catch for 32 yards, resulting in a go-ahead touchdown with just over two minutes left in the game.
After the game was over, Pickens was asked about the trade for Williams. The Steelers were looking for another wide receiver to help free up Pickens and give Wison another big-bodied target. During his press conference, Pickens said that having Wilson on the roster was beneficial.
"It's great, man," Pickens said. "He made a big-time play, too. He's still the great receiver from Clemson."
The Steelers haven't been a high-scoring team for quite a while, which was one of the concerns about playing the Commanders. Their offense, with quarterback Jayden Daniels, has been incredibly successful. They came into Week 10 at 7-2 and leading the NFC East. Pickens said they knew they had to put points on the board to beat Washington's offense.
The media does not always consider Pickens an outstanding teammate. When asked how he helped keep Williams engaged on the sideline since he hadn't been involved much until the scoring play, Pickens said he told Williams to just be patient.
"We knew situationally, I told him situationally, just stay in it," Pickens explained. "Cause a guy with his size, you know, fourth down, two minutes. Cause when it's waning down, we're looking for guys like that. I just told him stay in it."
Williams was previously with the New York Jets, a team the Steelers just played in Week 7. The Steelers were reportedly interested in the 30-year-old receiver during the 2024 offseason, but the Jets sold him with promises about how he would be utilized in Aaron Rodgers' offense. However, when the time came, Rodgers failed to include Williams much. During the game against Pittsburgh, he had only a single catch for 15 yards.
While he has a significant injury history, Williams also had multiple 1,000+ yard seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. While it is still early, he appears to be a good fit in Pittsburgh's offense, giving Wilson another big-bodied deep threat.
Steelers Players Appreciate The Value Added By New Teammates
After the Steelers traded for Smith and Williams, several players were asked about those trades, how they felt about them, and what they thought they said about the team. Freiermuth, who the Steelers recently extended, told the media he is glad to have them on the squad; however, the team was already locked in. He said the front office or the coaches didn't need to message the team.
Before the season began, Steelers owners and President Art Rooney II said he expected to see the black and gold return to winning playoff games. Freiermuth said the players already knew that was their mission. He said if the front office wants to add help, that's "cool," but they were already locked in to win it all as a team.
Williams told the media that he fits well in Pittsburgh and is looking forward to catching some of Wilson's "moon balls".
