Denzel Ward makes key plays on final Steelers’ offensive drive
Ward continued to demonstrate why he is a Pro-Bowl caliber cornerback. After missing Week 16 with a calf injury, Ward returned for Week 17 and made crucial plays down the stretch to help secure the win for the Browns.
With less than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Steelers deep in the red zone, the Browns were looking for key stops to keep Pittsburgh out of the end zone to tie the game. Rodgers took three consecutive shots at the end zone to Valdes-Scantling, and on each pass, Ward covered Valdes-Scantling.
All three passes fell incomplete, with Ward recording a pass defensed on the fourth-down passing attempt. The incompletion also forced a turnover on downs and sealed the game for the Browns.
“He played really well,” Stefanski said. “He’s a great player. Great to have him back out there. You know, that’s a lot of time there for a Hall of Famer. So, we knew they were going to make their plays, but our guys made one more than they did.”
Ward said he was not targeted throughout a majority of the game until that final offensive possession for Pittsburgh. However, even when he isn’t being targeted, Ward said he stays mentally ready for when those opportunities present themselves.
“I just try to make it hard on teams every time they decide to look at the scouting report and see who they’re going to attack and make it hard on them when they come my way,” Ward said. “And like I said, I don’t know whose bright idea it was to try me for the game for three plays in a row, but we were able to come through and get the win.”
Throughout the season, teams have not been throwing the ball in Ward’s direction as an effort to keep the ball out of his hands. Ward has been targeted just 57 times this season, the lowest of his eight-year career. Heading into Week 17, he had eight passes defensed, adding his ninth on the season against the Steelers.
“He’s a foundational piece for a reason,” DE Myles Garrett said. “He guy’s special. Anytime he’s on the field, he’s a game changer. He’s a playmaker. I’m not surprised that he was the one that came up with the big play to win it for us.”
