Steelers need Williams to heal quickly
PITTSBURGH – Running back DeAngelo Williams was in a walking boot following the Steelers 28-12 victory Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers can only hope he’s ready to play Saturday in their AFC playoff game at Cincinnati. Otherwise, it might be Pittsburgh that gets the boot.
Williams suffered a sprained ankle early in the second quarter against the Browns and was immediately taken to the locker room. He came back out, still in uniform, later in the quarter and tested the ankle. At halftime, the team announced he would not return to the game.
Williams underwent an MRI Monday to assess the injury, but no results were released.
Williams finished the game with five carries for eight yards. Second-year player Fitzgerald Toussaint replaced him in the lineup and had 12 carries for 24 yards. The Steelers rushed for just 30 yards, their second-lowest total of the season.
“We have to run the ball better than we did if we want to stay in this tournament for any length of time,” admitted Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Williams’ injury was reminiscent of what happened to the Steelers in 2014. Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell suffered a sprained knee in the regular season finale against Cincinnati and was unable to play in the playoff game against Baltimore. Having released backup LeGarrette Blount earlier in the season, the Steelers signed veteran Ben Tate during the playoff week and relied on a combination of Tate, Josh Harris and Dri Archer to produce a running game against the Ravens.
Those three combined to rush for 43 yards on 15 carries in a 30-17 loss.
The 32-year-old Williams was added this season to provide depth behind Bell and ended up carrying the load for the Steelers after Bell was lost for the season to a knee injury in a 16-10 loss to the Bengals Nov. 1.
He started 10 games and rushed for 907 yards and 11 touchdowns and caught 40 passes for 367 yards.
Williams didn’t have a huge game against the Bengals last month but was effective, rushing for 76 yards and two scores and caught two passes for 15 yards.
“It definitely hurts you,” said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of losing Williams. “He is such a weapon for us. He’s a really good blocker, a good runner. He’s definitely a big part of our offense.”
The Steelers are optimistic Williams might play Saturday. If not, they will turn things over to Toussaint and Jordan Todman.
Though he has just 24 career carries for 54 yards, most of which came this season, Toussaint does have some playoff experience.
He played for the Ravens last year in their win over the Steelers and got two carries and a reception the following week when Baltimore was eliminated from the postseason at New England.
The Steelers signed him to their practice squad earlier this season and he eventually was activated after the loss of Bell, moving past Todman on the depth chart.
“Wednesday on practice squad is my game day. We go in pads, so I can show them what I have,” said Touissant, who was a three-year starter at Michigan. “Make sure that I give them a good look and that helps me out.”
He went into the game against the Browns with a couple of things in mind. It wasn’t so much about gaining yards as it was protecting the football and protecting Roethlisberger.
“I knew that he would be fine,” said left guard Ramon Foster. “His preparation has been really good. (Running backs) coach (James) Saxon talked to him. Ben (Roethlisberger) was communicating with him while he was in there. There were no negative thoughts of him coming in. I just told him, ‘Do your job, this is what you prep for.'”
It might be what Toussaint has prepped for, but it’s not the job the Steelers would like to see him doing.
They’d prefer to have Bell or Williams.
“It’s like deja vu of last year,” said right guard David DeCastro. “That’s life in the NFL.”
Odds and end zones
The Steelers’ home schedule next season will include their AFC North opponents and New England, the Jets, Dallas, the Giants and Kansas City. In addition to their AFC North opponents, their road schedule will include games at Buffalo, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington and Indianapolis. … In two games against Cincinnati this season, Steelers tight end Heath Miller matched his career high with 10 receptions each time.