The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the uncomfortable position of replacing T.J. Watt ahead of Sunday’s Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills. Losing your star player and NFL Defensive Player of the Year (he should be, anyway) means replacing his role can’t come in the form of one person. It’ll take a team effort to fill his shoes.
What are the ways the Steelers can do so? Here are a couple.
1. “Safe” four-man pressures
Even before Watt went down in the second half of Week 18’s game, the Steelers had a surprising uptick in four-man pressures where Watt or Alex Highsmith dropped into coverage. On average, we know those two drop about five to 10 percent of the time. But across the final two games, those numbers shot up. Watt dropped 20.8 percent of the time while Highsmith dropped 16.7 percent.
They did so as Pittsburgh brought a fourth rusher from somewhere else, still dropping seven into coverage with Watt or Highsmith – the backside player away from the rush – occupying a spot in zone coverage. “Safe” pressures that dress up how they rush their normal four. That occurred at a rate of 12.1 percent in Weeks 17 and 18, seven such rushes that brought an inside linebacker five times, a nickel corner once, and a safety once. Turning to the tape, some examples:
A mix of outcomes, some good and some bad, and you can see the Steelers add layers of their creepers and sim pressures added on top of them. They’ve even been using three-man rushes more often, five times the last three weeks after using it just four times from Weeks 1-15.
Pittsburgh can continue this add onto it against the Bills. Creatively sending that fourth rusher behind just its standard rush out of nickel packages. And there’s a chance to add some wrinkles to make those rushes as effective as possible.
2. Shuffling EDGE rushers, more snaps for Alex Highsmith at LOLB
With more time to plan for life without Watt than dealing with it in-game, the team can shuffle which linebackers play where. Even against Baltimore, the team gave Highsmith three rushes from Watt’s spot at left outside linebacker. With Markus Golden and Nick Herbig able to play either spot, all three can shuffle from side to side if the Steelers choose.
And I like that for Highsmith. While he’s gotten most of his reps on the right side, flipping could be a good change-up for him and force the Bills’ tackles to study and prepare for all three players as opposed to focusing on Watt. Potentially his spin move, which has been countered better by left tackles this year, could fool an unsuspecting right tackle, though I don’t know if Highsmith is as comfortable spinning the other way. Not something he’s had to do before.
3. Interior DL Pressure, Flush Josh Allen To OLBs
While the focus is on the outside linebackers to replace Watt’s pass-rush juice, the onus has to be on the defensive linemen to also step if. If they can collapse the pocket, they’ll flush Josh Allen to the outside linebackers and increase their ability to generate pressure. Cam Heyward’s bull rush needs to win his matchups, Keeanu Benton’s club/swim has to work, and Larry Ogunjobi – who has been playing better – still needs to create more pressure (just four of them since Week 12). He’ll face rookie OG O’Cyrus Torrence and must rack up quality reps.
They must be as responsible for the Steelers’ pass rush as the outside linebackers are.
4. More Stunts
If rushing with four and banking on individual talent winning out isn’t the plan, much harder to execute without Watt, then Pittsburgh must creatively rush its front four. That could mean more stunts and twists and games. It’s often the Steelers’ response to chips and wings that try to slow down Pittsburgh’s outside linebackers, something Buffalo has done effectively in the past.
Creating and manufacturing that pressure through stunts could be a simple way to get home against Allen. Heyward has been a king of the “hold” on the guard when he’s served as the crasher, allowing the looping linebacker to stunt into the A-gap freely. Teryl Austin and the coaching staff will have to work harder at drumming up pressure but there’s talent here to get home. Having the falloff that the Steelers did last year without Watt is not acceptable.
