Every team has a plan to defend T.J. Watt. Just about every one of those has gone out the window as soon as the ball kicks off. And so Washington Commanders Kliff Kingsbury is burning the midnight oil trying to figure out how to create the right formula. Speaking candidly during a Thursday press conference, Kingsbury admitted he’s been staring at the ceiling worried about Watt’s ability to change the game.
“When I’m watching tape, when I’m sleeping, all of the above,” Kingsbury said via the Commanders’ YouTube channel. “He’s a game-wrecker. He’s on that level of certain guys around the league. The Aaron Donalds, I know he is retired. Where it’s like, going into that week, we’ve got to know where he is at on every play.
“And if we leave one play where he’s not accounted for and given extra attention, then that’s the play that can change the game. He’s that dominant of a player. He plays with that type of effort. Definitely one that keeps you up at night.”
In Week 8, the New York Giants discovered how costly a singular lapse can be. Failing to motion over TE Theo Johnson on a critical third down late in the game, Watt beat RT Jermaine Eluemunor around the edge and strip-sacked QB Daniel Jones, falling on the ball to complete the trifecta and takeaway. A game-changing moment as Pittsburgh held on for an eight-point win.
Kingsbury knows even his best plan isn’t guaranteed to work.
“I’m pretty fearful of all these guys,” he said when asked about defending top pass rushers. “They all keep me up at night. We’ve tried to protect as best we can against some of those guys. But there’s a reason they’re gonna be Hall of Fame players. They’ve have played a long time. They know how to kind of navigate the chips and the edges and still find a way to get it done.”
At this stage of his career, Watt knows he’ll be seeing chips and slides and window dressing to try and slow him down. He’s still carved out a dominant and Hall of Fame career so nothing Washington does is likely to be new or unexpected. Where the Commanders have an advantage is their creative offense and mobile quarterback, which could make Watt and the Steelers’ defense think, naturally slowing them down. As we noted in a recent video, the QB run threat can slow down Pittsburgh’s EDGE pursuit and make its OLBs less effective, at least in the run game.
Ultimately, the best way to slow down Watt and company is by controlling the game. Staying on schedule, building a lead, avoiding “must pass” situations where the defensive front can pin its ears back and attack. The Steelers are at their best when they can play freely and aggressive, punching instead of dodging. Washington’s goal will be to attack first, build a lead, and control the pace of the game, just as the Indianapolis Colts did in handing Pittsburgh one of its two losses this season.
