Tim Benz: If Mike Tomlin wants to avoid seeing a ‘stupid human trick,’ stop Josh Allen without T.J. Watt
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During his weekly press conference Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin needled the media for making too much of Goodwin Igwebuike’s heads-up play in Baltimore to touch a kickoff while reaching into the field of play from out of bounds.
“You guys act like he did a stupid human trick,” Tomlin joked. “He was just being a professional.”
Igwebuike’s play wasn’t as cool as someone stopping a ceiling fan with their tongue. But as a David Letterman fan, I appreciated Tomlin’s reference.
Tomlin’s biggest problem this week, though, is that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen pulls off about four or five stupid human tricks per game. His size (6-foot-5, 237 pounds), running ability and arm strength make him one of the most difficult quarterbacks in the league to defend.
That issue will be augmented by the absence of their own defensive embodiment of a stupid human trick in linebacker T.J. Watt. The Defensive Player of the Year candidate is going to be out with a knee injury suffered Sunday in Baltimore.
In 2021, when Watt played in Buffalo, the Steelers won 23-16 thanks in part to his two sacks and five QB hits on Allen. When he didn’t play last year, the Steelers lost 38-3.
Is that all directly cause and effect? No. The Bills were a 13-win team last year, and the Steelers failed to make the playoffs. It was also Kenny Pickett’s first start. But not having Watt in the lineup was a crusher, as it was for the full seven games he missed a season ago.
As it likely will be Sunday.
But the Steelers can’t just wave the white flag because Watt will be inactive. They’ve got to come up with a way to overcome his subtraction from the huddle.
“Playing without T.J. is significant,” Tomlin said. “But we played without a lot of people this year. It’s just another opportunity for us to strike a blow for the team and to display what ‘team’ really means: a collective of individuals who work together in an effort to produce an outcome.
“It’s not going to be a one-man job in terms of replacing T.J. It is going to be a committee approach. T.J. is one of a kind, but that’s ball. There’s an attrition component to it. That’s what makes it the ultimate team game.”
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That committee includes Markus Golden and rookie Nick Herbig as the two outside linebackers next up on the depth chart who will get more snaps with Watt out. Golden had three tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery during Sunday’s win over the Ravens. Herbig had the play of the day with a strip-sack fumble recovery against Geno Smith as the Steelers beat the Seahawks the week before.
“We’ve had a bond this whole year,” Herbig said of his teammates. “They believe in me, which I appreciate. A lot of guys are telling me, ‘We believe in you. It’s your time to step up.’ T.J. is telling me that. Having that support from a bunch of the guys, the coaches, I’m excited.”
Getting some more splash plays from the starting OLB opposite Watt, Alex Highsmith, and the rest of the defensive line would be nice too. The defensive linemen have totaled just 7.5 sacks. Cameron Heyward hasn’t had one since Dec. 7 versus the New England Patriots. Highsmith has seven sacks but just one in his last four games and only 2.5 since Nov. 12.
“Just keep hunting,” Highsmith said Monday. “Keep rushing, and the sacks will come. Keep getting after it. Ultimately, up front, we are going to have to provide the wave with how we play.”
The secret to harassing Allen may come because of an upgrade to the back end of the defense. Damontae Kazee will be back from suspension at one safety spot. Tomlin said the club is “optimistic” that Minkah Fitzpatrick could be back from injury at the other safety spot after a three-game absence.
Their presence, combined with the ability to now move Patrick Peterson back to cornerback, may allow Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin to feel more comfortable creating some blitz concepts and schemes that they were perhaps hesitant to try with the ranks being so thin in the back third of the defense over the past month.
“It’ll be a mix of all of the above,” Tomlin said. “You’ve got to have a few lines in the water when you’re trying to replace the impact of a guy like T.J.”
If Allen has a fault, it’s that he plays risky and will occasionally be reckless with the football. His 18 interceptions were the second most in the NFL. His five fumbles were tied for fifth most.
However, he needs to be forced into those situations. If Tomlin and Austin can figure out a way to do that without Watt, it may be the greatest human trick of their coaching careers.
Listen: Tim Benz and Joe Rutter preview Steelers-Bills and recap the team’s win in Baltimore.