Losing star outside linebacker T.J. Watt for likely the Wild Card Round matchup against the Buffalo Bills is a big blow for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Watt has been one of the best defensive players in football year after year and has made a strong case for his second Defensive Player of the Year award this season after leading the NFL in sacks with 19.0. By leading the NFL in sacks this season, it marked the third time in his career that he led the NFL in sacks in a season, making league history.
Without him in the lineup, the Steelers are just 1-10, so it’s a tall task going into Buffalo on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the AFC Wild Card Round matchup.
However, the Steelers have great depth behind Watt and fellow outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, which should help them weather Watt’s absence. For former NFL defensive end and current analyst Chris Long during an appearance on this podcast “Green Light Pod” Monday, veteran Markus Golden is going to have to step up.
Golden signed a one-year deal in free agency with the Steelers in the summer leading up to training camp and has been a steady presence all season long behind Watt and Highsmith. Now, he’s going to have to step up in a big way, stepping into a potential starting role should Watt be unable to go.
“…On defense man, you gotta trust people like Markus Golden to step up,” Long said regarding the Steelers-Bills matchup without Watt, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “…Markus Golden’s still a good player.”
He hasn’t had a big role this season, but when he’s been given an opportunity, Golden has made plays.
Golden played just 231 snaps in the regular season. However, he graded out at an 86.5 overall from Pro Football Focus. In those 231 snaps, Golden generated 13 pressures and four sacks for the Steelers and closed out the regular season in impressive fashion. In the Steelers’ 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18, he recorded a sack, two pressures and three quarterback hits on 21 snaps.
Along with his 86.5 overall grade from PFF, Golden graded out at 77.8 against the run and 80.9 as a pass rusher. Those are career-best grades from PFF in his nine-year career that has seen him play 5,101 snaps defensively.
Watt likely out is a significant blow, but the Steelers made sure they had the depth and experience behind him and Highsmith. Though Golden and rookie Nick Herbig haven’t seen a ton of snaps behind the two standout pass rushers, when they’ve been on the field, they’ve produced.
They’ll have to do that again in the Wild Card matchup against Josh Allen and the Bills. Having a player with the experience of Golden, along with the production he’s had this season, is quite comforting.
