Coach Mike Tomlin always talks about the importance of situational football, and he emphasizes the point by dedicating at least one practice each week to working exclusively on that phase. To use another Tomlinism, that phase proved to be a winning edge on Sunday against Washington in Northwest Stadium.
Here were the defining situations: a third-and-9 from the Washington 32-yard line with 2:27 left in the fourth quarter of a game in which the Steelers trailed, 27-21; and then a fourth-and-1 from the Washington 49-yard line with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter of a game in which the Steelers then led, 28-27.
In both of those situations, Russell Wilson delivered.
On the third-and-9, Wilson threw an on-time perfectly placed pass to Mike Williams for the 32-yard touchdown that erased the Steelers deficit, and then on fourth-and-1 he sent the team into victory formation when his hard count drew rookie defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton offside. Wilson is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.
Also considered were DT Cam Heyward, who finished with 2 sacks and a pass defensed; WR George Pickens, who had 5 catches for 91 yards (18.2 average) and 1 touchdown; ILB Patrick Queen, who finished with a team-high 7 tackles, including 2 for loss, and a pass defensed; Jaylen Warren, who had 95 yards from scrimmage – 66 rushing on 14 carries (4.7 average) and 2 receptions for 29 more; the 2 newest Steelers – Williams, who had that clutch catch for the decisive touchdown, and OLB Preston Smith, who finished with 3 tackles, including 2 for loss, and 1 sack; and the Damontae Kazee-Minkah Fitzpatrick tandem, who combined to keep Zach Ertz short of the line to gain on a fourth-and-9 from midfield with 78 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
