The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to beat a tough Washington Commanders team on Sunday by a score of 28-27. Washington was riding high under their new head coach, Dan Quinn, and rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, but Pittsburgh managed to take them down to further solidify their status as a contender. The Steelers looked shaky at times on offense and defense, but both units came through when it mattered most late in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh saw both of their acquisitions at the trade deadline make an impact in the win. Preston Smith had multiple tackles, which included taking down a receiver that was looking to throw for a significant loss. Mike Williams played sparingly, but caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson which wound up being the game-winning score. Before coming to Pittsburgh, Williams was having a rough season playing with Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. The receiver took a subtle shot at his former quarterback on Instagram on Monday.
It is a subtle shot, but Williams intentionally put #redline at the end of his caption. This is a call back to when Rodgers called Williams out publicly after a loss to the Buffalo Bills. Rodgers was looking for Williams deep down the right side of the field while the Jets trailed by three points with just over two minutes remaining, but the ball was intercepted. Rodgers accused Williams of not staying on the redline, which is a fictitious line that is supposed to keep receivers from drifting to the sideline while running their route.
Rodgers basically said that Williams drifting too much into the sideline, which forced a bad throw and resulted in an interception. The play essentially lost the game for New York, as they were looking to get the ball downfield to kick a field goal to tie the game or score the game-winning touchdown.
The Jets then traded for Davante Adams before their next game, which happened to be against Pittsburgh. The addition of Adams essentially sealed the fate of Williams with the trade deadline closing in. He was eventually dealt to Pittsburgh for a fifth-round pick, and he made an immediate contribution.
The wide receiver also played it cool when talking to the media about the incident with Rodgers, but after scoring the game-winning touchdown for Pittsburgh, he decided to give a little jab to Rodgers. On his touchdown, Williams did in fact drift a little bit towards the sideline while Wilson was able to deliver a perfect ball while facing pressure for the score.
Steelers' Russell Wilson Will Continue To Grow A Connection With Mike Williams
This play between Wilson and Williams came after the two had only been teammates for five days. It is safe to say that they will be connecting a lot more on the field as Williams continues to get more comfortable in the offense. Williams was on the field for just nine offensive snaps in the Pittsburgh victory, but he will likely become a mainstay on offense as he gets more familiar with the playbook and gets a full week of practice under his belt.
The addition of Williams will also help George Pickens going forward. Pittsburgh now has a legitimate receiving threat behind Pickens which should open the passing game up and make the offense more efficient overall. Williams will be introduced to the AFC North in Week 11 as the Steelers will be taking on the Baltimore Ravens -- which is expected to be an intense matchup. This is one of the best rivalries in the NFL, but it will be heightened by the current standings in the division.
