Tim Benz: Steelers looking to win with pass rush against Houston’s ‘mature beyond his years’ rookie QB
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In evaluating the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 23-18 win at Las Vegas on Sunday night, the most impressive thing wasn’t the modest uptick of the run game from non-existent to mediocre.
It wasn’t some sustained success from the offense in the middle portion of the game.
It wasn’t even the noticeable improvement of the run defense or even the solid kicking game.
Don’t get me wrong. Those things were all nice to see. They were all encouraging indicators of progress after many of those aspects of the offensive and defensive units struggled over the first two weeks of the season.
But what actually impressed me the most about the Steelers’ win at the big Roomba in the desert was the pass rush, which generated four sacks and eight quarterback hits of Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
That’s not counting Minkah Fitzpatrick’s sack of Garoppolo that was waved off by a (*clears throat*) “questionable” roughing the passer call.
That may sound strange since the Steelers’ defense had just collected six sacks and 11 QB hits the week prior against Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns. The difference is that the Raiders hadn’t allowed a sack in the first two games. T.J. Watt was going up against a tackle in Jermaine Eluemunor, who hadn’t allowed a pressure in 106 pass-blocking snaps dating back to Week 18 of last season. Alex Highsmith was facing Vegas left tackle Kolton Miller. He’s a 6-foot-8, 325-pound house who currently has the fifth-best pass-blocking grade in the AFC among tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
Not to mention that the Steelers are still playing without Cameron Heyward along the defensive front, and Larry Ogunjobi is still being nagged by that bothersome foot injury.
“We were trying to make it our best effort to make the pass rush as hot as possible,” Watt said after the game. “I think we did a good job of keeping them under duress, and it helps when we have them in those obvious passing situations where we can pin our ears back.”
Not only did Garoppolo have to absorb those four sacks and eight total hits, but he was flustered into three interceptions as well. In other words, the Steelers took what had been a strength of their own and forced it on the opposing strength of the Raiders.
“We knew they were going to do some things early to protect him, and I feel like we had a couple of good keys to be able to put pressure on him early. And there’s still a couple more out there we wish we would have got more pressure on him,” Watt continued.
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Given some of the coverage issues the Steelers’ secondary was having with Las Vegas receivers Davante Adams (172 yards, two touchdowns) and Jakobi Meyers (85 yards), if the pass rush was anything less than what it was, those two would’ve ended up looking even more like Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnikoff.
This week, the biggest key for the Steelers may be to replicate the same effect against Texans.
Not so much in terms of the pass-rush versus pass-protection battle. The Steelers have 13 sacks so far, the most in the NFL. The Texans’ injury-addled offensive line has allowed 11 sacks. Only the Cleveland Browns (12) and Tennessee Titans (13) have allowed more among AFC teams. That should pretty clearly be a win for the Steelers. Watt and Highsmith should go to town on Sunday.
But by biggest key, I mean forcing quarterback C.J. Stroud into turnovers. That’s something usually common among rookie quarterbacks. But not so much for this first-year signal caller from Ohio State. Stroud has yet to throw an interception in his first 121 passing attempts.
“Stroud is doing an awesome job. He looks mature beyond his years,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. “He doesn’t appear to be overwhelmed at all. He manages himself in-game and out-of-game with a maturity level that’s impressive. He’s good at extending plays. He’s not just a runner when he starts to escape. His downfield vision is excellent as he extends. He’s done a nice job of utilizing a bunch of eligibles.”
Stroud does have two fumbles — the only two giveaways by the Texans this year. And the Steelers have eight takeaways. The Buffalo Bills defense is the only group with more (9).
“They do a good job of keeping him out of adverse, one-dimensional circumstances like behind the chains,” Tomlin said. “His prudent use of mobility, the fact that he can extend plays and still keep his eyes downfield and still manage negativity is another component of it.”
For the Steelers to win Sunday, the most direct route will be to extend their streak of taking the ball away in every game so far this season, even against a young quarterback who has proven highly capable of protecting it.
“We’ve got to do us,” safety Damontae Kazee said Thursday morning. “Communicate. Get the ball as we preach. Keep creating turnovers. Do our job.”
To one degree or another, Watt and the rest of the pass rush have imposed their will in each game so far this year. If that unit does so again Sunday, expect the takeaways to continue despite Houston’s track record for avoiding them.
And, if that happens, look for the Steelers record to improve to 3-1. That’s something that seemed entirely unlikely as recently as the fourth quarter of the Cleveland game when Watt and Highsmith swung the momentum with a strip sack of Watson that became a defensive touchdown.
ANOTHER HIGHSMITH AND WATT COMBO. TOUCHDOWN STEELERS.
: #CLEvsPIT on ABC
: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/zWM8hlwLFw pic.twitter.com/3T15PdcCSI— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2023
Based on their track record so far in 2023 and Houston’s injuries along the offensive line, it’s fair to anticipate something similar this Sunday.