For the first time since 2017, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be playing a playoff game in front of fans at Acrisure Stadium.
Based on what he witnessed a week earlier in a winner-take-all division-title matchup at the same venue, outside linebacker T.J. Watt is wondering what the crowd can do for an encore Monday night against the Houston Texans.
Playing before a raucous crowd that revved up after the Steelers rallied from a 10-point deficit, emotions were at an apex when the Steelers held on for a 26-24 victory after a last-second Baltimore Ravens field goal attempt sailed wide right.
“The buildup is more so than ever because of how exciting the last game was, how incredible the fan base was and how loud the atmosphere was,” Watt said Saturday after the Steelers concluded practice in advance of the wild-card round game. “It’s hard to believe they will be up a notch. It will be a challenge for them, but I’m sure they are up for it.”
The Steelers, of course, haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 postseason — before Watt joined the roster. They have lost six playoff games in a row and started a streak of five one-and-done appearances in 2017, Watt’s rookie season. But Watt is hopeful the Steelers hit a turning point with their victory a week earlier against Baltimore, one that catapulted them into the postseason with a division title and No. 4 seed in the AFC.
Returning from a 23-day absence because of a partially collapsed lung that required surgery, Watt had an interception that led to a field goal for the Steelers.
“I’m just excited to play,” Watt said. “Not being able to play that last month (stinks). To be able to play last week in that atmosphere and to be able to win in front of Steeler Nation was incredible. I feel like we’ve got a lot of good things going. I just want to keep building on the win, and we have.”
Watt doesn’t need to be reminded of the franchise’s postseason misfortunes during his time on the roster. He is 0-4 in the postseason, and the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year who once held the single-season sacks record has just one quarterback takedown in his playoff history.
He also doesn’t think the core of young Steelers players are in the mindset of winning one for the old guys on the team, a group that includes fellow thirtysomethings Chris Boswell and Cameron Heyward.
“We all want to win because we want to keep playing,” Watt said. “I don’t think there needs to be any extra incentive at all for this football game.”
Watt sees camaraderie on this team that gives him confidence the Steelers are capable of making a run in the postseason. For that to happen, the Steelers need to win at home against the 12-5 Texans, who bring a nine-game winning streak into the game.
“We’re just having fun,” Watt said. “Guys in this locker room genuinely like hanging out with each other. Dating back to Latrobe, I think we’ve been through a lot. Some tough ups and downs, but you take some young guys under your wing along the way. It’s been fun. It’s a fun group, a confident group and when it’s time to work, we work hard.”
Watt played 84% of the defensive snaps against the Ravens, and his 43 snaps were one fewer than Alex Highsmith accumulated. It wasn’t far off the workload Watt received before his lung was accidentally punctured during a dry needling treatment.
“It was up to him about ‘how do you feel?’ ” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “A few times during the game, I just walked by and said, ‘Hey, how you feeling? You good? He was like, ‘Yep, I’m good to go.’ I’ll trust him. If he tells me it’s good to go, it’s good to go.”
Although he didn’t get one of the team’s three sacks, Watt watched as Highsmith and Nick Herbig brought down Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, proving the effectiveness of the Steelers pass rush. Watt finished with two tackles and a quarterback hit.
“I feel great, I really do,” he said. “I was excited how I felt after the game. I had a really good work week, and I feel really good as I stand here.”
Generating a pass rush against Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud could be difficult. The Texans allowed 31 sacks for the season, tying the Steelers for the ninth-fewest in the NFL. Stroud was sacked 23 times in his 14 starts, but the Texans didn’t permit any in their final three regular-season games while he was under center.
Stroud isn’t going to be surprised to see a heavy dose of Watt, Highsmith and Herbig.
“They’re going to push the pocket and burn the edge,” Stroud said. “I think they do a great job with their effort. They’re getting chips and things like that the whole game, and they’re still going very hard. I have a lot of respect for Highsmith and Watt and their interior guys.”