One player doesn’t make a team, especially in the NFL. But for many national analysts across the sports media landscape, they are forgetting that one key part when it comes to the AFC Wild Card Round matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at 1 p.m. at Highmark Stadium.
The Steelers will be without star outside linebacker and Defensive Player of the Year candidate T.J. Watt against the Bills, causing a big blow to the Steelers defensively. Since Watt entered the league as a first-round pick in 2017, the Steelers are just 1-10 without him.
This time though, things feel different due to the depth the Steelers have behind him in veteran Markus Golden and rookie Nick Herbig.
Yet for ESPN’s Kevin Clark and Bill Barnwell, appearing on the latest episode of “This is Football“, the Steelers have no shot at beating the Bills without Watt, even if Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen struggles with turnovers.
“If T.J. Watt were playing, would this not be the perfect, ‘Oh my God, the Steelers are gonna force four turnovers. Josh Allen’s gonna melt down’ game?” Barnwell said of the Steelers’ matchup with the Bills. “Wouldn’t that be? But without T.J. Watt it feels impossible.”
Watt was outstanding this season, leading the league in sacks for the third time in his career with 19.0, becoming the first player in NFL history to lead the league in sacks in three different seasons since the sack became an official statistic in 1982. He also became just the fourth player in NFL history to have multiple seasons of 19 or more sacks.
Without him, the Steelers are a completely different team. In years past, the depth hasn’t been there behind Watt, leading to a massive drop-off in effectiveness and production.
The Steelers, to their credit, addressed depth in a major way behind Watt and fellow standout outside linebacker Alex Highsmith last offseason. They selected Herbig in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and then signed Golden in the summer before training camp, solidifying the position group.
That depth will be tested now with Watt out for at least the Wild Card matchup. Golden and Herbig combined for seven sacks on the season in limited action, so production and ability are there.
But even knowing that, Barnwell and Clark just don’t see it with the Steelers in the first-round matchup.
“I don’t believe the Steelers are going to get past the first round. I think their ceiling is give a nice performance against the Bills and lose,” Barnwell said. “I don’t think they have anything left beyond that.”
“I think this is gonna be an absolute mudslinging contest,” Clark added.
The weather is supposed to be very poor with a significant snowstorm rolling through Buffalo this weekend, making conditions difficult for both teams. That could play into the favor of the Steelers, who are one of the best running teams in the playoffs.
No Watt might make it tough to slow down Allen and the Bills though. Barnwell certainly believes it won’t be close though. In a piece for ESPN.com Thursday, Barnwell predicted that the Steelers will lose to the Bills, 31-10, without Watt.
Bold prediction and certainly unlikely to happen considering the way the Steelers are playing as of late.
