The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is following a familiar path this season: second-best in points conceded, fourth-best in yardage allowed but still not quite as good as it should be, or as good as its status as the NFL’s top-paid defensive unit dictates.
Exhibit A: Last Sunday’s 27-24 loss at meh Indianapolis. The defensive imploded early as the Colts scored 17 points on their first three possessions.
Some of the unit’s highest-paid individuals need to perform better. You make the most money, you need to do the most. (Mario Lemieux often said that.)
Edge rusher T.J. Watt has been quiet since Week 1: Just three sacks and one fumble recovered on the season. He ran Atlanta ragged in the Steelers’ opener but has cooled since.
Watt’s salary cap hit is $30.4 million, so that’s unacceptable. When a defensive player makes quarterback money, his tangible impact has to be constant, not just consistent. Especially when he thinks he should be Defensive Player of the Year every year.
Watt always gets double-teamed and chipped.
Rather than allow that to be an excuse, Watt should vary his approach.
Some of Watt’s most successful contemporaries line up in different spots by way of not allowing the offense to draw a bead on them. To avoid as many double-teams and chips. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Dallas’ Micah Parsons, for example.
Why doesn’t Watt do that?
Instead, he lines up on the left edge all the time. The opposition knows that. It’s easy to set their blocking, execute double-teams, do chips and get a rhythm defending Watt. No adjustment is required. It’s far from easy, but it’s the same on every play.
Watt probably prefers the repetition. For a long time, it’s worked.
But what happens when it doesn’t? Watt will be 30 in a week. Perhaps he needs a change of pace.
Yeah, we know: Watt gets held a lot. So did Mean Joe Greene. He occasionally would punch somebody in the nether regions to keep them honest. Perhaps Watt should try that.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick hasn’t been involved in a turnover since Jan. 1, 2023. Sixteen games have passed.
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Fitzpatrick’s cap hit is $21.4 million, so that’s unacceptable. In 2019, his first season with the Steelers, Fitzpatrick was involved with eight takeaways and scored two touchdowns. In 2022, he led the NFL in interceptions with six and returned one for a score. That’s the Fitzpatrick the Steelers need.
If Fitzpatrick’s profile has receded because he’s playing deep and making tackles, then he’s being deployed improperly. The Steelers can get somebody to do that for a lot cheaper. Fitzpatrick needs to find the ball. Don’t coach him to be ordinary.
Watt and Fitzpatrick have to impact winning directly. Their contributions have to be tangible.
It’s about the numbers. Ask any nerd, zit-face or four-eyes.
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. had a rough game at Indianapolis and faces a big challenge Sunday night in CeeDee Lamb, Dallas’ standout receiver.
But even the best corners occasionally have rough days, let alone those in their second year. Here’s betting Porter responds big and contains Lamb.
When you invest in defense as heavily as the Steelers have ($125.8 million, according to Spotrac), the defense needs to win games. Not your cheap quarterbacks.