For opposing offenses, their most crucial decision revolves around how to block up T.J. Watt. There are no easy answers. But it’s obvious the solution is not “leave him 1v1.” Ben Roethlisberger says that’s how the Baltimore Ravens tried to handle Watt Sunday. And he was shocked by that plan.
Roethlisberger went in on the Ravens’ decisions on the latest episode of his Footbahlin podcast with his co-host Spence.
“Chip him with a back, put a tight end, do something. T.J., maybe send some flowers to John Harbaugh,” Roethlisberger said. “There was one play of T.J.’s, I don’t even know what his final stat line was, one of his many sacks. He went around the edge and the tackle went to put his hands on him and literally didn’t even touch him.
“Like, what are we doing? T.J. is one of the best, if not the best, defensive players in the game of football. How are you not putting two and three people on him? Thank you, Baltimore.”
Sunday was two’s wild for Watt. He finished the day with two tackles (both for a loss), two QB hits, two sacks, and two pass deflections, one of which he batted down at the line of scrimmage. For a second time this season, he scooped up an Alex Highsmith forced fumble. According to our charting, he had five pressures, second on the team only behind Highsmith’s six.
“T.J. Watt is one of the baddest game-wreckers that I’ve seen and that this game has seen in a long, long time,” Roethlisberger said.
The Ravens went into the game without their starting right tackle, veteran Morgan Moses, who sat out with a shoulder injury. With him unavailable, the team turned to Patrick Mekari, who started the previous three weeks replacing the injured Ronnie Stanley on the left side. Watt made quick work of him when left one-on-one.
Roethlisberger again thanked the Ravens for their peculiar plan.
“Thank you, Baltimore. Thank you. That’s why we’ve dominated you recently.”
With Sunday’s victory, the Steelers have won five straight games against the Ravens, their last loss coming in the 2019 regular season finale when Pittsburgh was eliminated from the playoffs mid-game due to other scores around the league.
Watt’s first sack was an impressive rep, dipping right past Mekari who, as Roethlisberger mentions, literally hits air.
Once Pittsburgh’s offense secured the lead in the game’s final moments, the pass rush finished the job. Highsmith stripped the ball out of Jackson’s hands, recovered by Watt, in a play that was eerily similar to the team’s Week Two game against the Cleveland Browns. After a Chris Boswell field goal, the Steelers finished things off with Watt taking Jackson down on the game’s final play.
On the season, Watt leads the NFL with eight sacks. No one else in football has more than six. His 15 quarterback hits are also tops in the league while his seven tackles for loss are fifth-most. His pair of forced fumbles is still tied for a league-high along with Highsmith and many others.
Despite seeing Watt twice a year, Baltimore didn’t have a good enough game plan against him. And Watt showed what happens when you don’t contain him.
Check out the whole episode below.
