Steelers lean heavily on Brown, Williams
Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams celebrates after scoring a touchdown Sunday against Oakland. Williams totaled 225 yards (170 rushing, 55 receiving) against the Raiders.
Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown runs as teammate Markus Wheaton follows ahead of the Raiders’ defense after making a catch to help set up the Steelers’ game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter Sunday.
PITTSBURGH – There have been thousands of games played in the NFL’s 95 years of existence.
In all that time, and in all of those games, no two players made an impact such as the one Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back DeAngelo Williams provided Sunday in Pittsburgh’s 38-35 win over Oakland.
Brown had a record-breaking performance, setting team records with 306 total yards, 17 pass receptions and 284 receiving yards. He also had 22 yards rushing on two attempts.
The 32-year-old Williams, meanwhile, had 225 total yards – 170 rushing and 55 receiving – while subbing for injured Le’Veon Bell.
It was the first time in NFL history players from the same team had 300 and 200 total yards in the same game. The 531 total yards also is an NFL record for teammates.
Brown’s receiving yardage was more than 11 teams had passing Sunday, and Williams’ rushing output was better than 18 teams.
“Playmakers make plays. He stepped up and made the plays he was supposed to make,” Williams said of Brown. “That’s vintage Antonio Brown. We needed him to play like Antonio Brown and we needed the offensive line to play like they did to win the game.”
While Brown and Williams were dominant, the rest of the Steelers gained only 66 yards. The Steelers can’t expect Brown and Williams to account for 89 percent of the offense every week, but with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger out at least the game Sunday at Heinz Field against the Cleveland Browns (2-7), the Steelers (5-4) might need to lean on Brown and Williams even more.
Roethlisberger suffered a mid-foot sprain in the fourth quarter of the win over Oakland. The injury is expected to keep the quarterback for up to three weeks. The Steelers have their bye week following the game against Cleveland.
That could put Roethlisberger on track to return Nov. 29 at Seattle.
In the meantime, the Steelers will continue to rely on Brown and Williams, though against the Browns it will be Landry Jones, not Roethlisberger, at quarterback.
Jones completed 4 of 6 passes for 79 yards against Oakland, completing a short pass to Brown with just under one minute remaining that the receiver turned into a 57-yard catch-and-run that set up a game-winning field goal.
“That’s what we expect,” head coach Mike Tomlin said. “Much like DeAngelo, it’s not the first time we’ve called on (Jones) this year. He’s shown playmaking abilities in those moments. It’s reasonable to expect him to deliver again.”
Even if Brown and Williams were the main cogs in the offense, they didn’t do it alone. It was all part of a team effort.
“It’s never about the individual,” said Brown, who has 1,002 receiving yards. “It’s a team game. The guys up front did a great job. DeAngelo ran the ball well. Heath Miller was blocking and catching passes, and all the receivers did a good job.”
Of Brown’s 284 receiving yards, 115 came after the catch. … The 597 yards gained by the Steelers were the most allowed in Oakland’s history. … According to Pro Football Talk, running back Dri Archer, released by the Steelers last week, cleared waivers and turned down offers from 10 teams, including the Steelers, to sign a practice squad contract. Archer is reportedly waiting for a team to offer a spot on a 53-man roster…. The Steelers are plus-4 in turnover ratio after forcing four Raiders turnovers. Pittsburgh forced five fumbles, its most this season. … Only Indianapolis and Detroit have more turnovers than Cleveland’s 17.