The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Is getting the secondary back healthy a bigger deal than being without T.J. Watt?
We all know that the Steelers’ track record playing without T.J. Watt is not good. They are 1-10 all-time since he was drafted in the games in which he has not played. There are few players outside of the quarterback position who are more capable of single-handedly impacting the game. And he’s already been ruled out for Sunday’s game.
But they’ve also been playing with a MASH unit on the back end of the defense, converting Patrick Peterson to safety and calling Eric Rowe up from the practice squad. This week, they should have Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee starting back there.
The question is, is that a bigger difference than playing without Watt? One would hope that it’s less egregious in this season than in most given the better depth in their possession. Markus Golden and rookie Nick Herbig have combined for seven sacks in a little over 400 defensive snaps played. They’ve been effective when given the opportunity.
Interestingly enough, while the Steelers have a bad record without Watt, they have a good one without Fitzpatrick. All told, they are 8-2 in the 10 games Fitzpatrick has missed since they first acquired him, with most of those missed games coming this season.
And the reality is that they are on a 3-0 run right now without both of them. Kazee has been suspended for the past three games. Peterson and Rowe have actually played pretty well on the whole. But neither of them are Fitzpatrick, even if this hasn’t been his most dynamic season. All he needs is one opportunity to make a play, however. If Herbig and Golden can hold their own, this is still a formidable unit with reinforcements, including a healthier Elandon Roberts, who should be able to play more snaps than in the last game.
