The Pittsburgh Steelers 24-20 loss last Sunday to the New York Jets was maybe the toughest loss so far on the young season. No loss is easy to take, let alone one against a franchise who's synonymous with losing. Despite the hysteria of the Kenny Pickett era launching as it did, it didn't help matters much. The fact that the Steelers did lose again with no TJ Watt shouldn't surprise anyone. In fact, the stats don't lie. You can talk about the lack of offensive production the team has shown over the first four weeks and how it correlates to winning, but when you take out the 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year, it's a recipe for disaster.
PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 28: T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action during the game against the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium on August 28, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
The team took steps in the direction of addressing its offense on Sunday with the switch to Pickett both then and into the future. Losing Watt however, has been the bigger problem. One that can't be ignored.
Since being drafted in 2017, Watt has played an instrumental role in the play of a defense that clearly misses him when he's out due to injury. The impact is not only measurable in the wins and loss column, but in the overall numbers. The Steelers are now 0-7 when Watt does not dress. It's a small sample size, but the truth is this: his talent and impact are sorely missed and it's been on display over the past three losses, mostly in the second half of play.
No Punch In Steelers Defensive Play
Credit: Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers
For starters, against the New England Patriots, the Steelers never led. They only tied the game once, that coming in the second quarter after a Minkah Fitzpatrick INT deep in Pittsburgh territory. The offense managed to construct a long 16-play drive that took over seven minutes, but only led to a Chris Boswell field goal to knot the game at 3-3. The Patsies then forged ahead 17-14 as the fourth quarter played out. Two Steelers possessions yielded a pair of three and outs. New England got the ball with 6:33 on the clock and the defense gave up four first downs and the game ended.
If this were an exercise in how not to win new fans over to the game of football... mission accomplished. It was one of the more boring, lack-luster performances I've seen from two teams in quite a while. But it became just another L for Pittsburgh without Watt in the lineup.
Two weeks ago at Cleveland, the Steelers got a good effort from their offense in the first half, leading 14-13 on the road. But the Browns turned up the running game, found success with a pair of scoring drives in the third quarter that covered a total of 25 plays, leading to a 29-17 win. Yes, the Steelers offense was bad in the last 30 minutes, stringing together three straight three and out drives, but the theme of no Watt, no Steelers win, is quite evident.
Pittsburgh Steelers' Cam Heyward (97) rushing Zach Wilson (2) on Sunday's 24-20 loss to New York Jets. | Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers Lack Of Rush Is Brutal To Watch
As for this most recent loss, it goes without saying that the decision to start Pickett to begin the second half was a jolt the offense surely responded to, as the rookie led them on a pair of touchdown drives to take a 10-point lead with 13:30 left to go. Like many, I figured the Jets would be good for a score, but that's all. No worries, the defense has this.
Oops.
The Jets proceeded to put together a pair of touchdown drives of 11 and 10 plays, sandwiching a critical Pickett interception that set up the game winning march. The worst part to all of this is the obvious and that's the lack of bite in this defense. Outside of Fitzpatrick's play, and the efforts of Alex Highsmith's team high 5.5 sacks, the Steelers only have managed to take down opposing QB's just three times over the past three games. The facts are obvious, when Watt doesn't play, the Steelers don't get to the quarterback.
So Steelers fans, will the addition of Kenny Pickett be the difference in winning and losing? Or does Watt's MIA status still loom over getting wins? Sound off below with comments and concerns as the team prepares to invade Orchard Park and a date with the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.
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