Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE rusher T.J. Watt is one of the best players in the NFL. When healthy he is a game wrecker and transforms the Steelers defense from an above average to great unit. When the Steelers play well, he is usually out on the field causing havoc in the opposition backfield. Because of that it is no surprise former Hall of Fame Steelers CB Rod Woodson said Watt is the key for Pittsburgh this year.
Woodson was on hand at Saint Vincent College for training camp today and speaking with Celina Pompeani of CBS Pittsburgh, he said a healthy defense will mean an “awesome” defense.
“I think if T.J. can stay healthy for the defense, he brings so much to the defense, if he’s healthy they’re winning,” said Woodson. “I think they’ll be a solid defense, they’ll go from there…I think the defense if T.J., he’s gonna be the key. If he stays healthy, the defense is gonna be awesome.”
Watt being they key for Pittsburgh is no hot take from Woodson. The 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year’s impact was shown last year in the record. When Watt played the Steelers went 8-2, without him they went 1-6. Pittsburgh’s defense with Watt also shut teams down, allowing only 16.9 points per game when Watt was in the lineup.
Football is a team game. You need all 11 guys on each side of the ball to show up to succeed, but stars can still push a team another level. Watt is the definition of a superstar and his impact is not only seen in the stat sheet but also in the record.
Pittsburgh’s game plan this season is to beat teams by controlling the clock and having a shutdown defense. With Watt healthy the Steelers have that shutdown defense as evidenced by allowing only 16.9 points per game last season.
In a league where scoring is glorified and pushed by the rules, having a shutdown defense is hard. You can’t have an elite defense with just a bunch of “guys,” you need superstars. Pittsburgh has superstars on defense like FS Minkah Fitzpatrick, and DT Cameron Heyward, but last year proved that even those two superstars couldn’t slow offenses like Watt could.
Watt is the Steelers’ MVP, even if he doesn’t win the team award every year. No player is more important in the Steel City, and Woodson is right: with a healthy Watt Pittsburgh’s defense can be “awesome.”
