The Pittsburgh Steelers just beat one of their division rivals in the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 16-10 in Week 12, and appear to be on a renewed path as a team. While the score may not necessarily reflect it, this win over the Bengals is likely their best overall game on the season in terms of consistent performance from start to finish. Even with that however, it still ended up in a one score game and some unnecessary anxiety for Steeler Nation.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers DT Cam Heyward and LB TJ Watt celebrate a sack in their Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
There was a lot of anticipation leading up to the Week 12 matchup with the Bengals for the Steelers, and most of that was due to the Steelers finally deciding to move on from Matt Canada as their offensive coordinator. This move came with a lot of support from the players, as well as significantly improved results on game day as the team recorded their first game with over 400 yards of total offense since 2020.
This improved offensive output not only gave the Steelers' offensive players something to finally be in a positive mood about, but it also significantly helped the defense out as well. The Steelers defense has been asked to go above and beyond, week after week, in order to give them a chance to pull out close games at the end. Finally in Week 12, that wasn't the case.
The Steelers Defense Finally Had Time To Breathe In Week 12
Everyone knows the Steelers' struggles of moving the ball down the field in 2023, as they were outgained in each of their first 10 games this season. However, a just as important stat is the time of possession, as this is the first game where the Steelers truly had a significant advantage in time of possession over their opponent.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers RB Najee Harris played a big role in helping the offense sustain drives and win the time of possession battle in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Coming into Week 12, the Steelers only led the time of possession battle twice so far in 2023. Both of those games they had less than 31 minutes of possession, which in a 60-minute game, means you barely won there. Against the Bengals however, the Steelers had the ball for a whopping 37 minutes and :17 seconds. That is a huge change for the team, and a much needed one.
Speaking with the media after the game, TJ Watt recognized this as a key for them as a group, and directly related it to their success.
"Rest. I think we took 21, 22 snaps in the first half as a defense and that's huge," said Watt. "Offense was controlling time of possession. Defense, we were able to get off the field."
Those limited snaps are even more evident when you look at the stat sheet. Watt played a season low 39 snaps against the Bengals in Week 12, with his next lowest snap total on the season being in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers where he played 48 snaps, which only accounted for 71% of the team's defensive plays.
Keeping your best players on the field is an easy way to get improved results, but in this case, the easiest way to keep players like Watt on the field was to ensure he was kept on the sideline for extended periods with the offense in a groove.
Taylor Ollason / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth had a career game against the Cincinnati Bengals which helped the offense get big plays down the middle of the field.
Getting to spend more time on the bench, as well as stopping the Bengals running attack by not allowing Joe Mixon to get loose on the ground were two big benefits for Watt and the defense. That isn't something that Watt overlooks.
"...being able to smash the run helps a lot, being able to get them one dimensional. Spent a lot of time on the bench today and that was awesome as a defense."
Despite his low snap total, it didn't prevent Watt from being productive. Watt recorded two more sacks during his trip to Cincinnati, which now puts him in the league lead with 13.5 on the season. With the defense getting more rest, a reinvigorated offense with quarterback coach Mike Sullivan calling the plays, and what should be an easier schedule ahead, the Steelers are poised to go on a bit of a run to end the season and head into the playoffs on a high note.
What do you think about Watt saying that the defense getting time to rest was huge for their success against the Bengals? Let us know in the comments below!
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