Mark Madden: Steelers defense is just ordinary without T.J. Watt

Pyrrhic victory — A victory that comes at a great cost, perhaps making the ordeal to win not worth it.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defined the Pittsburgh Steelers’ crazy 23-20 overtime win at Cincinnati perfectly: It just wasn’t worth it. It was Pyrrhic as can be.

Not that such things can be negotiated, but the presumed loss for the season of edge rusher T.J. Watt with a torn pectoral muscle kills the Steelers. There is no legit hope for anything, not even a winning season.

Watt is the catalyst for the Steelers defense, as evidenced Sunday: one sack, three tackles for loss, two passes defensed and an interception.

The philosophy of “next man up” is applied out of necessity, but it’s also a lot of horse manure. You’d rather lose and keep Watt healthy.

Without Watt, that defense is ordinary. When Watt played the entire game last season, the Steelers were 9-3. When he was unavailable or compromised by injury, they were 0-4-1. The numbers don’t lie, and they spell disaster for the Steelers in 2022.

Much went poorly for the Steelers on Sunday, but they still won.

Even the defense was far from perfect. It had five takeaways and seven sacks. It also allowed 432 yards and conceded 32 first downs. It had to play an insane 44 minutes.

It’s easy to imagine most Steelers games going the same. The defense will be unfairly put upon, and the offense flounders.

Except now the defense doesn’t have Watt.

Related:

• Steelers beat Bengals in OT with Chris Boswell 53-yarder
• T.J. Watt’s injury to likely leave Steelers relying on 'next man up,' newcomer Malik Reed
• Steelers vs. Bengals: What they're saying in Cincinnati after loss
• Tim Benz: First 'Feats of Strength,' 'Airing of Grievances' after emotionally conflicting Steelers victory in Cincinnati
• Madden Monday: 'The season is over' if T.J. Watt is out long-term

The offense was bad. It’s nothing to do with the perceived difference between starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky and heralded rookie backup Kenny Pickett. If you believe that, you’re lazy and obsessed. Ultimately, Trubisky made the plays he had to.

The offensive line allowed just one sack but created no room. The offensive gameplan was horribly unimaginative, looking very similar to last year’s despite replacing the immobile Ben Roethlisberger with a relatively mobile Trubisky.

As ex-Steelers lineman Trai Essex tweeted, “Now y’all see this wasn’t a No. 7 thing. Never was.”

Yet, if you ignore Watt’s injury, it was a big win. (Disregard, too, that running back Najee Harris left the game early. He’s also irreplaceable.)

Alex Highsmith had a career-high three sacks. (Enjoy those. His space to operate will dry up in Watt’s absence.)

Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick had first-half takeaways. They make the most money. They did the most. That’s how it should be.

Fitzpatrick’s interception was a pick-six to open the scoring. He blocked the winning extra-point attempt at the death of regulation. But Fitzpatrick had to make 14 tackles, too. It makes one wonder about the freedom he’s supposed to have.

The Steelers need Fitzpatrick to make big plays, not be a tackling machine too often covering for others. He was the latter last year, and his impact was lessened.

But it’s all moot with Watt out. Perhaps the Steelers will do the right thing by going 3-14 to get the high draft pick they so desperately need.

More likely, they’ll scratch and claw to six or seven victories. Finish middle, draft middle, stay middle.

Stooges and fanboys yowl about overreaction to Watt’s injury, but last year’s successes and failures directly correlate to Watt’s presence or absence. Watt is the Steelers’ best player, and he’s almost certainly out for the year. The Steelers were a very borderline playoff team in the first place.

No Watt, no chance.

Pittsburgh nonetheless will retreat into a fantasy world where everything can be fixed by a tweak or a trade.

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott got hurt. Trade Mason Rudolph to the Cowboys for linebacker Micah Parsons.