The Pittsburgh Steelers’ tracked edge rotation did more than rest T.J. Watt during Sunday’s 20-13 win over Atlanta. It delivered on Pittsburgh’s promise to move Watt around while keeping its best pass rushers ready for the snaps that decided the game.
Watt finished with two sacks, three tackles for loss, and a pick-six. Alex Highsmith added two sacks, including one that stopped Atlanta’s final serious threat. Nick Herbig recorded a quarterback hit, while Jack Sawyer contributed three defensive tackles. The official game recap confirms this wasn’t Watt dragging the defense across the finish line by himself.
Pittsburgh didn’t protect Watt from the game. It weaponized his workload.
T.J. Watt’s lighter workload unlocks more flexibility for Pittsburgh Steelers
“Getting less reps, but trying to exert as much as you possibly can on those reps, making them mean that much more,” Watt said in a postgame press conference. “Give a lot of credit to [outside linebackers coach] C.J. [Ah You] for keeping track of it. Helped us play and be more fresh today.”
Tracking gives the rotation more structure than simply taking Watt out when he could use a blow.
"There’s going to be a lot to fix and adjust as the week goes on. But I think, as you can see, the rotation. I think the way that [Nick Herbig] Herb's been playing, we can move him around more. Me and Alex [Highsmith] can flip sides allows us to do a lot more things schematically."
Herbig has already shown high-end pass-rush efficiency, while Jack Sawyer’s rookie season provided enough evidence that he can handle real defensive work.
T.J. Watt spoke to the media after the win over the Falcons. @Acrisure pic.twitter.com/TIf6Gbf0uB
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 13, 2026
Mike McCarthy said before the opener that he didn’t want Watt averaging 60-plus plays because it wasn’t best for the player or the defense. Watt agreed that he would rather play fewer snaps at maximum effort and trust Herbig, Sawyer, and Highsmith, according to the Steelers’ Week 1 notes.
Freshness is only half the payoff. As Watt said, he and Highsmith can flip sides, with Herbig moving around the front. That is a significant departure after Watt spent nearly every 2025 snap on the defense’s left edge. An offense that knew exactly where No. 90 would line up could set its protection and send chip help there before Pittsburgh broke the huddle.
Patrick Graham now has options with Watt and company. He can put him across from the weaker tackle, slide him inside, or use Herbig as the movable third rusher. Sawyer’s continued development gives Pittsburgh another trustworthy rotation piece against the run.
Watt produced the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Highsmith ended Atlanta’s next dangerous possession with a sack. If this is what fewer, harder snaps look like, Pittsburgh should keep counting every one.
Add us as a preferred source on Google