LANDOVER, Md. -- Trailing by six in the fourth quarter Sunday with time and opportunity evaporating, Mike Williams lined up for his ninth snap as a Pittsburgh Steeler.
Set up wide to the left of quarterback Russell Wilson, the wide receiver released and ran a go route toward the end zone. And as Wilson has done so many times in his career, he corralled the snap and let it fly.
His first attempt to Williams, acquired from the Jets at the trade deadline just five days ago, dropped perfectly over the wide receiver's right shoulder -- and the trailing defensive back -- and into Williams' arms for the go-ahead touchdown with two minutes and 22 seconds remaining in the Steelers' eventual 28-27 win against the Washington Commanders.
"It was a big-time catch by Mike," said Wilson, who recorded his 40th game-winning fourth-quarter drive with the score, tying Matthew Stafford for the most in the NFL since 2012. "I just try to give him a chance and let him do his thing. As a guy that's had [two] thousand-yard seasons in his career, 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. ...
"It's a credit to Mike, just studying the film and understanding all the extra time that we put in this week, just having confidence in the people around you."
With the catch, Williams helped secure victory for the Steelers, who entered the game as a 1.5-point underdog against the upstart Commanders and now move to 7-2 ahead of their opening game of AFC North play against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11.
"I was just thankful for the opportunity," Williams said. "Russ just told me to go over there. He trusted me to go over there, running route and put the ball up for me. I think it shows that this week of prep, I was out there catching good, running some good routes and just showing what I'm able to do, and I got an opportunity to close the game and did that."
That Williams came through with the biggest play in the most critical moment despite his newness wasn't a surprise to coach Mike Tomlin.
"He's a veteran guy," Tomlin said. "He's a quick study. We didn't throw everything at him, but we threw enough, particularly the one-dimensional ball, the passing circumstances. We didn't want him over there standing with us [on the sideline] at the weightiest of moments."
With the touchdown, Williams became the fourth player in NFL history to score a fourth-quarter game-winning touchdown in his debut with a team after joining it midseason, and the first since Bill Larson in 1980, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"Never thought I would be getting this type of experience or anything like this," Williams said. "You just got to live, and you learn and just go with whatever God throws at your way. That was my main thing. Everything happened for a reason. I'm here now and I'm grateful for the opportunity, was able to change the game today. I'm just thankful."
Before the touchdown catch, Williams hadn't run that go route a single time in the game. But when wide receiver Calvin Austin went down with an injury earlier in the drive, Williams' number was called. And in the timeout right before the touchdown, Wilson told Williams to line up wide left.
"He told me to go over there, so I kind of had an idea that the ball was going to be up," Williams said. "So, I ran the route and just checked the air and caught the ball."
He added, "It was just what we talked about on the sideline. 'I want you to run this route.' Calvin went out. He was running that route the whole week. He actually ran it early in the game, but yeah, it was for him, and he was out."
With less than a week in Pittsburgh, Williams didn't have much experience catching Wilson's signature moon balls, but he used his time on the sideline throughout the game to study the passes and how other receivers adjusted to them. To that point, Wilson's deep ball hadn't been the effective weapon that it was in his first two starts.
Prior to the touchdown pass, Wilson was just 2-of-7 for 40 yards on passes that traveled at least 15 air yards. After nearly four quarters of studying his quarterback's throws in the game, Williams knew exactly where to look to make sure he could secure the catch.
"I was able to see what he was looking at during the routes," Williams said. "Just watching from the sidelines, seeing other guys on the route. I knew when I got the opportunity, I wasn't going to run the route and look back at him. I was going to check the sky, because I was seeing how he was throwing the ball.
"I was just like, if I go out there, I'm going to check the sky. And I did that and made a play."