The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, winning on the road, 16-10. Much was made about the offense breaking its 58-game streak of gaining less than 400 total yards in the Steelers first game with OC Matt Canada, but the offense still only mustered 16 points on the day.
Once again, it was the defense that had a dominant performance as the Bengals gained just 222 total yards on the day, including just 25 yards on the ground. OLB T.J. Watt was a big reason for the defense’s success against Cincinnati, much like he is on a weekly basis at this point. The stat sheet would say as much too. Watt tallied five total tackles (all solo), one tackle for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble, doing his part to harass QB Jake Browning and the rest of the Bengals’ offense.
The Film
Watt surpassed 90 career sacks Sunday in Cincinnati (91), needing just 98 games to do so, joining HOF Reggie White as the only players to go over 90 sacks in their first 100 games. Watt’s first sack came on this rep where TE Irv Smith Jr. initially blocks him before going into his route, giving RT Jonah Williams the opportunity to get into his pass set before Watt arrives. Watt immediately gives Williams the club/rip, quickly beating him around the corner and into the pocket. He jumps onto Browning’s back, punching the ball out on the sack for the forced fumble. Williams ends up recovering the ball but is quickly brought down by LB Elandon Roberts.
Watt managed to jump to first place in the league in sacks on Sunday with 13.5 on the season. He second quarterback takedown was less impressive than his first as neither the tight end nor the right tackle picked up Watt coming off the edge. That gave the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year a clear runway to the quarterback for one of the easiest sacks of Watt’s career.
Even when he’s not getting to the quarterback, Watt is still impacting the play as a pass rusher. He often commands more than one blocker, and his pressure can help other pass rushers eat if he doesn’t get home. Watch this play where Watt stunts inside and bull rushes RG Alex Cappa, crossing his face inside to get into the pocket. Watt’s pressure forces Browning to escape the pocket, allowing OLB Nick Herbig to come down from coverage and bring Browning down for the sack. The assist goes to Watt for forcing Browning to leave the pocket and giving Herbig a chance to come in for the quarterback takedown.
Watt also won’t get credit here on this rep where DL Cameron Heyward is credited with the sack, but again, you see Watt’s effort as he loops around the line of scrimmage to the opposite A gap. Getting pushed around like a pinball by multiple blockers, he still keeps his effort in pursuit of the quarterback. He manages to jump on Browning’s back after spinning out of a block, teaming up with Heyward, who goes low to wrap up Browning for the sack.
While possibly the best pass rusher in the league, Watt also is invaluable as a run defender, doing a great job of setting the edge and working off blocks to get in on tackles near the line of scrimmage. When he goes against a tight end like Smith on this play, it’s nearly always a win for Watt as he easily rips off the block by Smith on the edge and chops RB Joe Mixon down before he can get back to the line of scrimmage.
Watt has also shown his capabilities in coverage during his time in Pittsburgh, picking off multiple passes at the line of scrimmage by getting his hands up as well as dropping into coverage. He doesn’t drop often, but Watt is a capable coverage defender who can rally to the football and tackle at the catch like you see in the two clips below. After seeing the quarterback check the ball down, Watt immediately gets on the pass catcher to bring him down and prevent extra YAC.
Conclusion
Watt had a great game against the Bengals, getting it done as a pass rusher and run stopper and representing himself well in coverage to prevent any yards being gained after the catch on underneath throws. With six games left on the schedule, it may be difficult for Watt to surpass his own NFL record of 22.5 sacks that he shares with Michael Strahan. But we’ve seen Watt have multi-sack games often, including games where he goes off for three-plus sacks, suggesting it’s possible should Watt keep momentum down the stretch.
With Pittsburgh’s offense keeping the defense off the field longer, players like Watt were able to stay fresh. That allowed him to be more effective as a rusher compared to playing 60 or more snaps a game like he has in the past. Should the offense continue to move the chains and pick up yardage, it will only help Watt and the rest of this defense be in advantageous positions to rush the passer going forward this season.
