There’s a reason the Pittsburgh Steelers seem so much better when T.J. Watt is on the field. Here’s a look at the difference when he doesn’t play.
For the most part, Pittsburgh’s defense has really struggled this year. Collectively, the Steelers are 27th in yards allowed, 22nd in points allowed, and 32nd in yards per carry allowed, via Team Rankings. Advanced metrics and DVOA would suggest something very similar.
However, there have been times this season when the Steelers have been more than adequate on defense. In fact, they have tricked us into believing that they could be elite again for a short time before spiraling back down to earth.
What is the reason for this? There’s a very simple common denominator: T.J. Watt. Though the Steelers haven’t been without their struggles when Watt is on the field — the first half of Week 14 against the Vikings is an example of this — the numbers show that Pittsburgh is astronomically better when Watt plays nearly a full game.
Check out these numbers when Pittsburgh’s star edge defender sees the field for at least 40 snaps compared to when he does not, according to NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala:
TJ Watt says of course he’s playing vs the #Titans. You’d better believe the #Steelers look different w/ him.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 17, 2021
When TJ plays >40 snaps, the Steelers are 6-2, give up 22.4 ppg, average 3.6 sacks.
When TJ plays <40 snaps, the Steelers are 0-4-1, give up 28.6 ppg, average 1.6 sacks.
When T.J. Watt plays at least 40 snaps, the Steelers have a terrific 6-2 record with a defense that would rank in the top half of the league. Pittsburgh also gets to the quarterback much more often. However, when Watt doesn’t play or is forced to leave early, Mike Tomlin’s team is just 0-4-1 on the season with some pretty despicable defensive numbers to boot.
What makes Watt so important for Steelers?
If this were any other player, we could chalk this up to just a crazy coincidence. However, when you examine the film, it’s very easy to see (and almost feel) Watt’s impact on each and every play. In addition to requiring extra attention, Watt has been spectacular when healthy and remarkable leads the NFL with 16.0 sacks.
This number is even more astonishing when you consider that he has missed two full games, left the contest early in three others, and played through nagging injuries, and has missed an entire week of practice on the COVID list. All of this is in addition to missing team practices all summer as he awaited a new deal.
With how much of an impact T.J. Watt has when he does play, it makes me wonder where the Steelers would be right now if he hadn’t missed so much time this season.
If Watt can be completely healthy over the final four games of the season, he will single-handedly prove to give Pittsburgh a massive boost on defense. One player doesn’t make a team in football, but this particular player might just have as big of an impact as any non-quarterback in the NFL.