The Pittsburgh Steelers are hosting the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 to kick off the Mike McCarthy era. It's all about starting the season off 1-0, and the Steelers' path to doing so should include attacking the Falcons' right tackle, Jawaan Taylor.
Taylor was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason before signing a one-year, $5 million prove-it deal with Atlanta. It was a shaky couple of years for Taylor with the Chiefs, and Pittsburgh would be wise to exploit him in any way possible on Sunday.
Pittsburgh Steelers have a major advantage against Falcons’ Jawaan Taylor
Over the last three years with Kansas City, Taylor had his fair share of troubles with penalties and allowing pressure.
Season | Pressures Allowed | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
2023 | 47 | 20 |
2024 | 37 | 17 |
2025 | 20 | 13 |
As the numbers suggest, Taylor hasn't been a solid option at right tackle. Not only has he allowed consistent pressure, but his penalty numbers are what's really alarming. He has a knack for holding and jumping early, which is something that will work in Pittsburgh's favor.
Whether it's five or 10 yards, those flags will push the Falcons' offense back. And it's important to note that Cooper Rush is Atlanta's starter, and he isn't a mobile quarterback. The Falcons will certainly look to get the ball out of his hands quickly, but if he holds it longer than 2/2.5 seconds, there's a great chance that either T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith will get past Taylor.
Everyone knows the caliber of player Watt is. He's one of the best pass rushers in the league, and he easily has the advantage over Taylor. Highsmith is another pass rusher who knows how to get home for Pittsburgh.
Both guys can win with power and speed, with a nice toolbox of moves to pull out. Considering that Jake Matthews is the better of the two tackles, there's no hiding that Taylor will be the weaker point among them.
If the Steelers are able to get past Taylor and get home to pressure Rush, his internal clock will speed up, which could lead to some bad decisions from the quarterback. And based on how his season went with the Ravens a year ago, there's proof that if you consistently get after him, he'll toss up a few ducks for the defense to take away.
It's not breaking news that getting pressure on the opposing quarterback is how you wreck a team's game plan, but with Taylor clearly having flaws, Pittsburgh would be wise to make it a priority to expose him on Sunday. They have the pass rushers to do so, and finding ways to get Watt or Highsmith 1-on-1 against Taylor will yield plenty of positive results for this defense.
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