Back in the lineup for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders, veteran outside linebacker Alex Highsmith wasted no time making his presence felt Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
In the process, his his impact gave the Steelers’ defense a significant boost as Highsmith was a wrecking ball in Pittsburgh’s 27-14 win over the Browns.
For Steelers star outside linebacker T.J. Watt, it was great having a “great pass rusher” like Highsmith back in the mix.
“Huge,” Watt said of Highsmith’s impact in his return from the ankle injury, according to video via Steelers.com. “I mean, I think it was the third play of the game he had a huge sack, and he was applying pressure all day. We know he’s a great passer and a run defender when he’s out there and I’m just glad that he was out there today with us.”
Though second-year outside linebacker Nick Herbig had been a force in place of Highsmith over the previous three weeks, the return of Highsmith for the Steelers was massive as it made a strength of the Steelers’ defense even stronger.
Right away, Highsmith showed he was going to impact the game. On third down on the Browns’ first possession of the game, two plays after Watt’s big tackle for loss on Nick Chubb, Highsmith got home for a sack on Browns QB Jameis Winston, forcing a punt.
That sack kick-started a dominant day for Highsmith as he finished with a team-high six pressures, one sack, and two run stops, playing 42 snaps out of a possible 72 on the afternoon.
Germain Ifedi, who is a right tackle by trade and is the third-string tackle for the Browns, had a rough go of things against Highsmith, who dominated from start to finish, teaming with the likes of Watt and Cameron Heyward to disrupt the Browns’ passing game.
With Highsmith now back healthy and the Steelers’ pass rush at full strength, there is no telling what they could do defensively, especially in a tough stretch of three games in 11 days coming up against the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.
