Despite almost blowing this game, here are the winners and losers from the Steelers’ week six win over the Seahawks.
After a strong first half, a faulty second almost derailed the Steelers’ week six victory. The team hung on in overtime to win though, and despite the team having a plethora of issues, they enter their bye week at an even .500.
The game had its fair share of strong performances and lacking ones en route to the 23-20 final score. Here are the three winners and two losers from the Steelers victory over the Seahawks.
Steelers winner: Tre Norwood
I almost listed this group as the Steelers’ young defensive backs, as I think you once again so some strength from James Pierre, but at the end of the day it was rookie Tre Norwood who played a critical role in the victory. The seventh-round pick saw a decent amount of defensive snaps this week, and he played well. He was a sound tackler and had a few key pass breakups early in the game.
While not a starter in the traditional sense, the Steelers are using Norwood similarly as to how they used Cameron Sutton before he was extended. He is the additional defensive back in dime defense and can cover in the slot in a pinch. Considering the seventh-round rookie wasn’t expected to be much of a contributor, he is clearly farther along in the development process than most expected him to be. He has a bright future in this secondary going forward, and the team saw some of his best play this week.
Steelers losers: the safeties
Despite being relatively experienced and talented, the Steelers’ safeties fell short in this game this week. Neither played a great game, and both players were at fault for some of the defensive issues that sprouted up in the second half. Considering they are supposed to be the strength of this defense, it was a brutal reality check seeing them struggle so much.
Minkah Fitzpatrick racked up the tackles, but he failed to make any key stops and struggled in coverage. He has had a slow start to the season so far, and for a player that will want elite money in 2022, he isn’t doing himself any favors. As for Terrell Edmunds, he is coming off his worst game of the season despite a solid start overall.
He was only ok in coverage, but his run defense was lacking. His issues were key to the Seahawks’ resurgence in the second half, as he was at fault for not stopping Alex Collins’s touchdown run as well as missing a handful of tackles overall. Both safeties showed a lot of weakness this week, and both need to prove that they can play better once the bye week is over.
Steelers winner: Alex Highsmith
This was exactly the type of game Alex Highsmith needed. Despite being one of the most consistent and talented pass rushers on the team, many were looking past him because his individual stats weren’t there. While a regular at pressuring the quarterback, it took until week six for him to lodge a sack. That said, he was once again extremely effective at getting after the quarterback this week and it finally paid off with 1.5 sacks.
Highsmith has shown to have a potent get-off right after the ball is snapped. While he can win in a variety of ways against opposing tackles, his speed off the line is what constantly puts him in a good spot to get pressure. This was hindered with his earlier groin injury, but with that now mostly healed, he is once again shooting out of his stance after the snap. His timing and speed are remarkable for a player his age.
Considering he is only a sophomore right now just means he will continue to get better as well. While not the elite talent that T.J. Watt is yet, Highsmith has the potential to form one of the best edge duos in the game with him. Add in the good play from Melvin Ingram and this pass-rusher group is extremely deep and talented. Highsmith finally got the individual stats going this week, and he has continued to be a strong presence off the edge each week.
Steelers loser: Chasee Claypool
To be frank, I and most of Steelers nation expected a stronger day from Chase Claypool. While not the most consistent receiver on the roster, the expectation was for him to take on JuJu Smith-Schuster’s role in the slot and see an increase in looks. He never capitalized off that though, and as a result, he posted a disappointing stat line of two receptions for 17 yards.
Part of the issue was he was never given the chance to truly thrive in the slot. The Steelers had a surprisingly large amount of rotation at receiver, and Ray-Ray McCloud actually saw a lot of snaps. That doesn’t excuse Claypool’s bad play though, as he failed to capitalize on any of his targets. Add in his late-game pass interference call and it was a very disappointing game for the ascending second-year receiver.
The Steelers would be wise to allow him to work heavily out of the slot moving forward. At this point in his career, he may not be capable of consistently switching out between slot work and outside receiving tasks. In terms of what he can personally do, Claypool needs to be more consistent and create more big plays. He failed to do that this week, and as a result, he finds a home on the loser’s list.
Steelers winner: T.J. Watt
Realistically, Watt could have found a way to be on this list every game so far this year. Even in the weeks he didn’t play or was unhealthy, the dip in pass rush was so clear it indicates just how pivotal he is for this team. Watt put up yet another monster game this week, and once again showed his dominance as a run and pass defender.
While relatively quiet in the first half (for Watt’s standards at least), he single-handily won the Steelers the game this week. He sacked Geno Smith twice in overtime. The first ended their first drive and forced a punt. The second resulted in a fumble that the Steelers recovered that led to the Chris Boswell field goal. His play in overtime was the reason the Steelers ended up winning this week.
At this point, two things are entirely clear with Watt. First, the Steelers could have paid this man almost anything and it would have been a good deal because he simply is that good. Secondly, it is hard to not see Watt as the front runner for DPOY right now. His sack numbers are impressive alone, but the impact he makes all over the field makes him the best defender in the business right now. He showed again just how dominant he is, as he was the key reason the Steelers won this week.
While week six was far from pretty, the Steelers got a tough win that returns them to a .500 record heading into their bye week. The team has its fair share of issues still, but there are quite a few strengths to build off of for the time being. These winners and losers were key in the team’s final outcome in their week six win over the Seahawks.