Mike Williams makes winning touchdown catch to push Steelers past Commanders

LANDOVER, Md. — The Steelers made the move to trade for Mike Williams as an investment for their offense the rest of the season. But immediate dividends don’t hurt, either.

Williams made a fantastic, shin-tapping, over-the-shoulder catch on a beautiful ball from Russell Wilson in the back left corner of the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown that stood up as the winner in a 28-27 comeback Sunday against the Commanders at Northwest Stadium. This place used to be called FedEx Field, and Williams delivered in the same week he was shipped here from the Jets.

Wilson had an up-and-down showing but was fist-pumping in celebration when Williams hauled in his biggest throw of the day. While the pinpoint accuracy was there at times, he misfired on short, intermediate and deep throws, including his first interception of the season. There also were several throws Wilson didn’t make when he appeared to have pass-catchers open. But the story of his season so far has been bouncing back in the weighty moments and Wilson finished with 195 yards through the air on 14-of-28 passing with three touchdowns.

Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels lost at home for the first time. He threw for 202 yards on 17-of-34 passing. Terry McLaurin was a scary sight for the Steelers, snagging five of those Daniels throws for 113 yards.

Jaylen Warren’s fumble just short of the goal line midway through the fourth quarter flipped the Steelers’ fortunes from nearly taking the lead to giving the Commanders a reprieve. Warren was stood up in a scrum by a bevy of Washington defenders when safety Quan Martin wrestled the ball away from him and Jeremy Chinn fell on it. But the defense did its part to get the ball back, and the Wilson-to-Williams connection stole the show.

It was over when: Commanders rookie defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton jumped offsides as the Steelers lined up for a 4th-and-1 snap at the Washington 49 with the clock stopped and 1:02 left. That was the conversion they nee

ded to end it. It’s not going to be a fun postgame for Newton.

Player of the game: Cam Heyward. His resurgent season rolls along, now with two sacks of Daniels that ate up 19 yards lost. He also had a batted pass that T.J. Watt nearly picked off deep in Commanders territory. Heyward is playing as well now as he was four or five years ago, which is a testament to his longevity and dominance. The longest-tenured Steeler and oldest on defense was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise shoddy performance against Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. George Pickens made plenty of plays to put points on the board and help keep the offense afloat, too.

Trending up: Ben Skowronek. In his first game back from a shoulder injury in Week 2 that landed him on IR, Skowronek showed what an asset he can be on special teams. He’s a beast covering punts at 6-foot-3, 224 pounds and made returning them miserable for veteran receiver Olamide Zaccheaus. First, Zaccheaus nearly lost a muffed punt, then he did cough one up as Skowronek and James Pierre crowded him. Skowronek was right there to cover up the ball and give the offense a short field. Honorable mention goes to DeShon Elliott and Beanie Bishop, who weren’t the issues in the secondary. Speaking of which ...

Trending down: Minkah Fitzpatrick. His drought of making a splash play continues to drag on, but he wasn’t making all the routine plays, either. Fitzpatrick slipped in coverage and allowed a 23-yard catch by Luke McCaffrey on 3rd-and-4 late in the first half, which extended that drive and led to a touchdown. He also missed a tackle on McLaurin on the first play of the third quarter, which turned into a 54-yard catch-and-run. Fitzpatrick is highly compensated, but Minkah magic has been anything but mystical for too long now. Joey Porter Jr. had a rough day, too, getting flagged for three penalties in the first half alone.

Up next: The Steelers (7-2) finally will see a divisional opponent, opening AFC North play against the Ravens (7-3) with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Acrisure Stadium.