If you watched the Pittsburgh Steelers' Monday night showdown against the Giants in Week 8, you can probably guess which defensive players earned the highest grades from Pro Football Focus. While Mike Tomlin's defense held strong in the red zone, they were gashed for big plays on the ground and through the air.
There are plenty of players to blame for not holding up at the point of attack, missing tackles, or not filling lanes. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are not among them.
The dynamic edge rusher duo made life miserable for Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. As a result, Watt and Highsmith earned the highest pass-rush grades from PFF among all NFL edge defenders in Week 8.
The two best pass rushers in Week 8 reside in Pittsburgh 👀 pic.twitter.com/9v4oq2UYnD
— PFF (@PFF) October 29, 2024
Thanks to dusting offensive tackle Chris Hubbard and earning rapid pressure on the quarterback, Alex Highsmith earned a 91.3 pass-rush grade in Week 8. Though Highsmith was even more disruptive than Watt this time around, it was the 2021 DPOY who earned a 91.7 PFF grade thanks to taking on extra blockers, recording a game-sealing strip-sack, and recovering his own forced fumble late in the fourth quarter.
Though Pittsburgh's defense surrendered nearly 400 yards in this contest, it's not hard to see why Highsmith and Watt earned top-notch grades in Week 8. The lethal pairing combined for 17 pressures, four sacks, six quarterback hits, seven hurries, and eight run stops in the win on Monday Night Football.
Steelers must keep their edge rushers fresh late in the season
We've seen what can happen if the Steelers are missing players on the edge. When Highsmith and Nick Herbig were both sidelined with injuries, opposing offenses could devote multiple players to slowing down T.J. Watt nearly every play while forcing a fourth-string pass rusher to try to beat the left tackle one-on-one.
This didn't work out well for the Steelers and earning pressure on the QB was a chore. Thankfully Highsmith is back and looking as good as ever. The underrated edge rusher is coming off arguably his best game in the NFL after recording a career-high 11 pressures to go with a pair of sacks.
Pittsburgh's defense will get even stronger when Nick Herbig returns after the bye week. However, keeping these defensive stars healthy will be the key to success late in the season and into the playoffs.
T.J. Watt is on the pace to play a career-high 945 snaps in 2024. This shouldn't happen for a 30-year-old player who is essential to the success of this team.
T.J. Watt is on pace to play a career-high 945 defensive snaps in 2024... At 30 years old.
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) October 30, 2024
This is largely due to injuries to Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. But if this team wants to be good late in the season and into the playoffs, they need Watt to be fresh. #Steelers
Thankfully, deploying a rotation with a healthy Highsmith and Herbig means that Watt's load should be lessened in the second half of the season. Watt is currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award, which is once again a testament to his value to the team.
If the Steelers can reduce Watt's snaps and have their three best pass rushers healthy and ready to go when the playoffs start, Pittsburgh will have a chance to make some noise. In the meantime, Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin need to be careful not to overwork T.J. Watt.