Dec 3, 2015 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – Often times, regardless of the sport, a player is only as good as the opportunities he gets.

Such has been the case with Steelers receiver Markus Wheaton this season.

Playing on a talented offense that features the AFC’s leading receiver in Antonio Brown, Wheaton often gets lost in the shuffle.

Add in other talented offensive players such as receiver Martavis Bryant, tight end Heath Miller or running backs Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams, and there just aren’t a lot of chances. There is, after all, only one football.

Wheaton, however, finally got a chance to be a featured performer last Sunday in the Steelers’ 39-30 loss at Seattle. With All-Pro corner Richard Sherman locked up with Brown and the Seahawks rolling coverage at times to Bryant after Miller left with a rib injury in the second quarter, the Steelers began relying on Wheaton out of the slot.

The third-year receiver responded with the best game of his career, catching nine passes for 201 yards and a touchdown, just the fourth 200-yard receiving game in Steelers’ history.

It was more receptions and yardage than he had accumulated in his previous seven games.

“Obviously, he would probably like to see it more spread out but he did his job,” said offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “When the opportunities came, he made big plays for us and gave us a chance to win.”

The Steelers (6-5) didn’t win that game, but Wheaton’s sudden emergence certainly has to concern future opponents as Pittsburgh makes its final push toward the postseason.

Now, instead of just focusing on one or two players in Pittsburgh’s offense, it’s now apparent they have any number of players who can put up big numbers.

In fact, with Brown having had a 200-yard game earlier this season, the Steelers are the first team since the 1996 Rams (Isaac Bruce and Eddie Kennison) with at least two players with 200-yard receiving in a game in the same season.

Add in the fact that Bryant and Miller also have had 100-yard games this season, while Bell, who is out for the season, and Williams have both rushed for 100 yards and had at least 70 yards receiving in a game, and it’s easy to see why the Steelers are now fourth in the league in total offense heading into Sunday’s game at Heinz Field against Indianapolis. This has happened despite the team playing four full games and parts of four others without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

“We have a lot of big-play guys, a lot of guys who are keyed in on what’s going on,” said Wheaton. “Obviously the quarterback has a lot to do with that. It’s really a tribute to our whole offense.”

With Roethlisberger missing so much time this season with knee and foot injuries and a concussion suffered last week, he and Wheaton haven’t always gotten an opportunity to show off the chemistry they built heading into this season.

Wheaton has played in the slot more this season than he did last year and he and Roethlisberger seemed to be clicking in the preseason.

But when Mike Vick and Landry Jones played in place of an injured Roethlisberger, Wheaton was often forgotten in the offense.

“I’ve always had a ton of confidence in Markus,” said Roethlisberger. “I hope this builds his confidence. I just want to see him keep growing. I know he will because he’s a guy who works really hard and wants to be great.”

Wheaton said his big game did help boost his confidence, but he didn’t necessarily need the boost. Competing with so many playmakers, he measures his play differently than many others.

“I’d say I’ve been contributing, though the numbers don’t show it,” said Wheaton, who has 25 catches for 474 yards and two touchdowns despite being targeted on just 45 passes this season.

“When it comes to blocking and things like that, I take pride in things like that. I’ve been doing that pretty well. It’s about staying consistent and continuing to put in the work when I’m not getting the looks. That’s what I’ve been doing and I think it showed in that game.”

That attitude is what sets Wheaton apart from many others, especially at wide receiver, where some players would pout at such little use.

“Being in the No. 2 or 3 spot across from a big-time guy getting 18-20 targets a game isn’t for everybody,” said Haley. “Everybody doesn’t have the mindset or mental toughness to do it. All signs have shown that Markus was a real pro. He was continuing to do things the way he was supposed to do them.

“He got opportunities and it paid off. You love to see it.”

Odds and end zones

Roethlisberger made it through his second consecutive day of practice after suffering a concussion against the Seahawks. … Linebacker Ryan Shazier, who also suffered a concussion against Seattle, returned to practice Thursday. … Miller (ribs), linebacker Sean Spence (hamstring) and safety Will Allen (ankle) did not practice, while tight end Matt Spaeth (knee) and Bryant (hip) were limited. … Brown was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.