T.J. Watt is every opposing coach’s worst nightmare. Some teams try to run away from him all game, or they will commit extra blockers to make sure he isn’t wrecking the game as he so often does. But when the extra attention is given to Watt, there are 10 other players on the defense who can take advantage. That is especially the case for this league-leading defense that has no shortage of talent in the starting lineup.
The next coaching staff that has to deal with that challenge is the Indianapolis Colts. Head coach Shane Steichen was asked if the Colts have a plan to stop T.J. Watt during his press conference on the Colts’ website.
“I hope so,” Steichen said with a laugh.
Watt has been off to a relatively slow start if you are just looking at the box score. He has 10 total tackles, three tackles, and five tackles for loss. But that doesn’t include the multiple strip-sacks that were wiped out by penalty in Week 1. He is still making a huge impact on the games.
Steichen was asked how cognizant they have to be of Watt on every play.
“Very. The guy is a phenomenal football player,” Steichen said. “He’s always around the ball. He’s got a relentless motor. He plays a hundred miles an hour on every snap. So we gotta have a plan for him.”
The Colts are entering this game 1-2 but have a good opportunity ahead of them to close the gap with the Houston Texans while the rest of the AFC South is struggling to get their first win.
Their offense is roughly middle of the pack in the NFL right now with 315.7 yards per game, but they haven’t played a defense quite like the Steelers yet. Pro Football Focus has the Colts’ offensive line as the best in the NFL right now, so that will help their case. It is going to be good on good with the Colts O-line versus the Steelers’ D-line.
That will be one of the keys to the game, and central to the Colts’ plan is slowing down T.J. Watt. Their right tackle is Braden Smith, who has been dealing with injuries while still posting very solid play.
