TREY WILLIAMS
Punt Returner
On an afternoon when Jordan Dangerfield had two interceptions, Anthony Chickillo had two sacks, and James Conner got within six feet of a 100-yard game, the Steelers maybe found somebody to return punts besides Antonio Brown.
Trey Williams, a second-year player from Texas A&M, is listed as a running back, but his contributions to the Steelers' 17-13 win over the Falcons this afternoon at Heinz Field were strictly on special teams.
Williams returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter to cut Atlanta's lead to 13-10 at the time, but he also handled the other nuances of the job well. Ball security is paramount for any player looking to be the Steelers' punt returner, and Williams was sure-handed as the deep man, and he also came up aggressively to make fair catches on two short punts to save yardage for the offense. Williams ended up with three returns for 77 yards and the two fair catches.
For handling the job as punt returner with veteran savvy and also scoring the team's first touchdown, Williams is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.
Also considered were Dangerfield with his two interceptions to go along with a couple of tackles; Chickillo with his two sacks to go along with four tackles on defense, one tackle on special teams, and a pass defensed; L.J. Fort, who had five tackles, including one for loss, and a pass defensed; Conner, who finished with 98 yards on 20 carries in his first NFL outing; Rosie Nix, who blocked a punt; and Justin Hunter, who had only 16 yards on three catches, but he powered into the end zone to complete a 6-yard touchdown play that provided the Steelers with the deciding points.
