When the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, it’s quite likely that the game will be decided by how well the Steelers’ defense fares against QB Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles offense. The offensive struggles for the Steelers have been well-documented, and while the bye week always gives some hope for improvement, the defense is typically much more dependable.
So when co-host Hannah Storm brought up Stafford’s struggles under pressure on Friday’s episode of NFL Live on ESPN, all eyes turned towards the Steelers’ defense. Former NFL defensive end Marcus Spears was quick to shoutout Pittsburgh’s star pass-rushing duo, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
“Don’t let this game be close in the end, Matthew Stafford and L.A….” Spears said. “These two have proven that they can go win a game for Pittsburgh if it’s within reach towards the end.”
When pressured, Stafford’s numbers dip precipitously. He ranks 29th in QBR at 6.6, 31st in completion percentage at 31%, and his 3.7 yards per attempt ranks 28th league-wide. When you factor in that the Steelers get pressure on the quarterback on 33% of dropbacks, good for sixth-highest in the league, it looks like a no-brainer. If Watt and Highsmith have a good game, it should spell trouble for Stafford and Los Angeles.
Unfortunately for the Steelers defense, Los Angeles’ star WR Cooper Kupp has not shown any sign of issue the last two games after returning from a hamstring injury suffered in the preseason. That came after his 2022 season was cut short due to an ankle injury. However, despite two injuries that kept him out of multiple games, he’s been quite good the last two weeks. He had eight catches for 118 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in his first game back. He then followed that up with seven catches for 148 yards and a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Week Six.
If the Steelers want to be able to effectively pressure Stafford throughout the game via Watt and Highsmith, the secondary will need to give them time. If they are largely successful in that, then Spears could very well be right. After all, that’s what happened against the Cleveland Browns. Highsmith had an interception returned for a touchdown to open the game, and then he kickstarted the game-winning score by forcing a fumble that Watt scooped up and ran back for a touchdown.
Will the duo be able to showcase that game-changing and game-winning magic again against Stafford?
You can watch the entire segment below. Watch for the Steelers defense discussion, stick around for former NFL QB Philip Rivers catching one heck of a stray shot from former Steelers S Ryan Clark.
