Being aggressive: Coach Mike Tomlin has never been one to 'live in his fears' and that was evident on Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
In the first quarter, the Steelers tried to pull off a fake punt from their own 16-yard line. Miles Killebrew's pass attempt to James Pierre was incomplete, giving the Commanders the ball deep in their own territory, and they converted it into a touchdown.
Tomlin once again put it all out there, sending his offense back out on the field on fourth-and-one from the Commanders 49-yard line with 1:02 to play and up by one.
The Commanders did just what the Steelers hoped, jumping offsides to secure the 28-27 win and improve the Steelers record to 7-2.
"I'm really appreciative of the efforts of the guys," said Tomlin. "From a tactical standpoint, I was really aggressive today and it didn't always serve us well. We took the ball to start the game. We didn't do anything with it and that probably positioned them to bookend the half the way that they did. They got the last possession of the first half, the first possession of the second half, and I thought those 14 points really changed the texture of the game.
"But you can't come in hostile environments versus good people and not be aggressive, aggressively pursue victory. We're not going to live in our fears. That's just how we get down. Same thing on a fake punt. That is me. I own that. I'll do it again. But we didn't execute it. And so, it was a bad idea.
"But our guys fought. They didn't blink. We got contributions in all three phases. We got contributions from old Steelers, like Cam (Heyward) who has been around forever. We got contributions from new Steelers like Mike Williams and Preston (Smith), and we're just appreciative of all parties involved.
"It's a good team win. When you're coming into an environment like this, and you find a way to get it done, not only is it a well-earned victory, but there's some real growth associated with it. Knowledge of self, individually and collectively, is a component of this thing as we push through this journey. We learned a little bit about ourselves, hopefully in a positive way today.
"We had a lot of bumps and bruises. Some people were able to go back, here are two that did not, Donte Jackson with a hamstring, did not, Alex Highsmith with an ankle, did not. I think everybody else, in some form or fashion, got back in the game"
Tomlin was asked if they were going to go for it on the fourth down play if the Commanders hadn't jumped offsides, and his answer was just what one would expect.
"We'll never know, will we," laughed Tomlin. "You know I'm a degenerate."
Better in person: Coach Mike Tomlin might have said it best when asked about Russell Wilson's touchdown pass to newly acquired receiver Mike Williams that secured victory for the Steelers against the Washington Commanders.
"I've seen it a few times on highlight shows," said Tomlin. "It's a little better in person. Believe it."
Wilson led the Steelers to a 28-27 win, completing only 14 passes, but making them count as three were for touchdowns.
Wilson connected with George Pickens in the first quarter for a 16-yard touchdown strike, then hit Pat Freiermuth in the second quarter for a three-yard touchdown.
But he saved the best for last, hitting Williams in the fourth quarter on a perfectly thrown 32-yard touchdown pass to secure the win.
"You've got to love clutch moments," said Wilson. "When you've got guys that can make plays and do things for you, first of all, Big Mike over there, just traded for him. He's a tremendous football player. We've got GP (George Pickens) on the right, Van (Jefferson) on the right. Pat (Freiermuth) showed up in big ways. Guys have stepped up in key moments. And just another great moment.
"It was a big time catch by Mike. I just try to give them a chance and let him do his thing. A guy who's made plays, a guy who's faced some adversity. You love it when guys face adversity and they come through on the other end of it.
"He had a great week of practice. I thought all of our guys had a great week of practice. We battled. We knew this is a really good football team. And they played hard. They played tough throughout the game. And we knew it would come down to the wire."
Wilson said he worked with Williams from the moment he arrived in Pittsburgh, throwing different routes and so forth with the hope always a big play would come.
"It's a credit to Mike, just studying the film, and understanding all the extra time that we put in this week, having confidence in the people around you. That's what makes football so great."
More crazy catches: While Mike Williams had one catch, and a crucial catch at that, Pickens had another Pickens like performance, pulling in five receptions for 91 yards and the ridiculous touchdown catch.
He also caught a slant pass where he shook off defenders for a 34-yard gain and a beautiful toe-tap sideline grab.
Which one did he like best?
"I'll probably say all of them," said Pickens. "They all helped the team get us a victory, so all of them."
Pickens also enjoyed seeing Russell Wilson sling the touchdown pass to Williams, something that doesn't surprise him the longer he works with the veteran quarterback.
"Letting the ball loose, that's one of the biggest components of his game," said Pickens. "And trusting the receivers. When it's a certain coverage, when you see certain space for the back pylon, he's going to release it.
"His mentality for throwing the ball is superb."
Pickens said it comes from the relationship Wilson builds with the receivers, working with them overtime to make sure they are all on the same page.
"I would just say repetition for sure," said Pickens. "Going after practice, before practice, watching film, other guys so we can get our connection to where it's A-1."
The moment's not too big: The talk of the day was the aggressive play by the Steelers, from the aforementioned fake punt to putting the offense on the field on fourth-and-one late in the game.
And defensive tackle Cameron Heyward wouldn't want it any other way.
"I never want to be not aggressive," said Heyward. "When you're on your heels and you're just playing responsive football, that's not a good recipe. When you can be aggressive and make things happen, you're putting yourself in a good position to win."
While being aggressive might not always work, it's about always trying. Even when the Steelers were down by 10, they didn't panic, didn't worry.
"It plays down to staying even keeled, not getting too high, not getting too low," said Heyward. "It's understanding the cards you're dealt and going from there. We were down 10 and then we settled down a little bit and just said we've got to make stops.
"We have resilience. We have guys that can step up in moments. The moment's not too big. We have newcomers in Mike Williams and Preston (Smith) and they're just getting into the fold and making plays when they counted."
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