All 3 Of Steelers' AFC North Rivals Have Wild Commonality That Likely Has TJ Watt Licking His Chops

The Pittsburgh Steelers hit a home run in the 2017 NFL Draft. With all the hype surrounding now-AFC North rival Myles Garrett, the promising edge rusher out of the University of Wisconsin in TJ Watt fell all the way to then-General Manager Kevin Colbert at the 30th overall pick. Since then, Watt has 96.5 sacks to go along with an NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year Award. It's hard to argue that he hasn't been the best defensive player in all of professional football since he made his leap to the pros. He will look to continue his dominance in 2024.

The Steelers will need Watt to stay healthy throughout the season, and especially down the stretch. Pittsburgh will take on its entire AFC North schedule in the final eight weeks of the season. The Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns will all be played twice in the last two months or so, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs being mixed in as well.

In 39 career games against the AFC North, Watt has 45 sacks, four fumble recoveries and three interceptions. It's safe to say that he has been a headache for the opposing coaches within the division. Watt may even wreak more havoc in 2024. All three teams are expected to start right tackles that, combined, only played one game for their current teams in 2023.

The Bengals will feature either Trent Brown or Amarius Mims, as Brown came over from the New England Patriots and Mims was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Neither are used to having to prepare for Watt twice a year, which immediately gives the star edge rusher the advantage. Pittsburgh will take on the Bengals in Weeks 13 and 18. It's likely that the rookie in Mims will be in the starting role by then, but he is currently battling an injury.

For the Ravens, Morgan Moses moved on and now is with the New York Jets. He started 31 games for Baltimore throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons. This leaves a void on the offensive line for the Steelers' biggest AFC North rival. Patrick Mekari has played all over the line for the Ravens since joining the organization in 2019 and he will have his work cut out for him in the two contests against Pittsburgh.

Moving onto the Browns, Jack Conklin is expected to be fully healthy in 2024. After suffering a knee injury in 2023, he played in only one game and missed the remainder of the season. He has been with Cleveland since 2020, but Watt has eight sacks in six games versus the Browns since then. He will have time to settle in before playing the Steelers and Watt in Week 12, but missing an entire campaign certainly has to be concerning.

Overall, the entire AFC North can't be too excited about going up against Watt with all three of their expected starting right tackles not being in that position in 2023. The guys Watt will go up against were either on a different team, injured, or in college. Familiarity is extremely important and the only advantage these players have is playing Pittsburgh later on in the year. Other than that, Watt has to be licking his chops about the opportunities that will be presented to him deep into the season.

Steelers Will Rely On Watt To Lead Defense Once Again

A pectoral injury to Watt significantly impacted Pittsburgh's chances of winning each week back in 2022. He came back healthier than ever in 2023 and led the league in sacks. The defense has firepower all over the place, but there isn't a doubt that Watt is the most valuable. The team is much better with him on the field and, in a critical stretch at the end of the season, his dominance will be counted on. He has even more to play for in 2024, as he and his wife, Dani, are expecting their first child in February.

Do you think that Watt will dominate the AFC North once again in 2024? Let us know in the comments below!

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