A week after perhaps the most glaring gaffe of his NFL career, Ray-Ray McCloud had the most productive game of his career.

“You never know going into a game what’s going to come and what’s not going to come,” McCloud said Monday, a day after setting career highs for catches and receiving yards for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 16-16 tie against the Detroit Lions. “So my mindset was just anything that comes my way, make plays. And that’s what it was. Do my job when my number’s called.”

McCloud played nine more offensive snaps than in any of his 40 prior regular-season pro appearances. The 70% share of the Steelers’ 87 snaps also was the most he had played in a four-year career that began in 2018 with the Buffalo Bills.

Playing an elevated role while the Steelers were without two of their top three wide receivers, McCloud more than doubled his previous career high of four receptions with nine against the Lions. The 12 times he was targeted by Mason Rudolph were three times more than he had been thrown to in his career. His 63 receiving yards nearly doubled McCloud’s former career high of 33.

“It was just opportunities the defense was (presenting),” McCloud said. “The defense ran things where I may be open.”

McCloud’s busy day on offense came six days after he was conspicuous late in a game against the Chicago Bears but for the wrong reasons. McCloud’s fumble on a fourth-quarter punt return was taken back for a touchdown by the Bears. Chicago would take the lead soon after, but the Steelers ended up winning, sparing McCloud.

WKU ALUM JOEL IYIEGBUNIWE FORCES THE FUMBLE THAT LEADS TO A BEARS TOUCHDOWN pic.twitter.com/GtlbgjKd9z

— Barstool Western (@BarstoolWestern) November 9, 2021

Even in victory, coach Mike Tomlin was terse after the game in calling McCloud’s fumble “unacceptable.”

Luckily for McCloud, the next day Tomin was equally short, when asked, in affirming McCloud had kept his job as the Steelers’ punt and kickoff returner.

Tomlin did his talking not to the media but to McCloud.

“We and Coach Tomlin talked … and (Tomlin said to) be more unselfish sometimes, just take the 10 yards sometimes rather than try to make the bigger something out of nothing,” McCloud said. “The times I’ve had mistakes in my career in the NFL, it was trying to make something out of nothing. Sometimes you’ve got to take what’s given.”

McCloud fumbled the week before, too, tying for the NFL high of two on punt returns. Counting a fumble after a Week 3 catch, McCloud’s three fumbles rank third among all nonquarterbacks in the league.

5 things we learned: Even in victory, McCloud's fumbles becoming problematic for #Steelers https://t.co/Y6HOU7zb1o

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) November 10, 2021

With good speed and lateral quickness, McCloud excels in the return game. After joining the Steelers last August, McCloud ranked fourth in the NFL in punt return average (10.3 yards) and ninth on kick returns (23.1) in 2020. He was one of two players in the NFL to rank in the top 10 at both, a far departure from his predecessor, Ryan Switzer.

Switzer rarely broke a big return — in 2018, for example, he had the third most fair catches in the league — but was surehanded.

McCloud understands that while avoiding fumbles is a priority, he doesn’t want it at the potential expense of dynamism.

“I am not going to take away me being aggressive back there because that’s what makes a great punt returner,” he said, “being aggressive taking off. But you’ve just got to know when to go and when not to.”

McCloud fell out of favor with the Bills and Carolina Panthers when he had five fumbles in just 30 touches over his first 16 games.

Despite the big game on offense Sunday, in all likelihood McCloud’s career longevity rests with his abilities on returns. And he knows that what while breaking a touchdown or two will help him make his name, nothing could kill his NFL career more than shoddy ball security.

“For me, it’s not a practice thing. It’s more of a decision thing,” McCloud said. “My mentality being back there, the times I’ve made mistakes, I’m trying to make the big play instead of taking the 10-15 (yards).”

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