Steelers Now
The post DB’s Steelers Dudes and Duds: T.J. Watt Takes Over, Run D Struggles appeared first on Steelers Now.
The Pittsburgh Steelers found a way to secure victory, defeating the New York Giants 26–18 in a game that had plenty of twists and turns. Despite some red zone inefficiencies, the team got a boost from their special teams and superstar pass rusher. Mike Tomlin’s crew heads into the bye week at 6-2 with sole possession of the AFC North. But before we get there, let’s talk about some standout performances from an eventful night at Acrisure Stadium.
Earlier this week, Giants right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor made headlines by stating that he wanted to be left on an island with T.J. Watt in pass protection. Be careful what you wish for. The former Defensive Player of the Year had several quick wins including drawing a hold with quick inside swim move. With New York driving for a potential game-tying score late in the fourth quarter, Watt turned a short corner and striped Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and recovered the ball for a massive turnover. These types of clutch plays will be on replay when he gets back inducted into Canton one day.
At this point, it feels extremely repetitive and borderline silly to continue putting Broderick Jones on this list but it’s not as if the placement isn’t deserved. He continues to struggle immensely in all facets of the game in his second season. He was tagged with four pressures and gave up a sack to Giants edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, a former teammate of his at Georgia. The real bummer was an early facemask penalty which took a touchdown off the board in the first quarter. Those struggles would be a lot easier to mask if he was at least a net positive in the run game but that hasn’t been the case this year either. Things continue to look bleak regarding his development.
Mike Tomlin’s decision to turn to Russell Wilson despite the Steelers winning record looks like the correct decision so far. On Monday Night Football against the Giants, he threw the ball as well as I have seen him throw it years. He got things started with an accurate throw to Darnell Washington on a bootleg. In the second half, he beat an all out blitz with a deep shot to Calvin Austin III for a huge touchdown. His best play came off play action, driving a ball 45-yards on a line to George Pickens for a huge score. The fumble late in the fourth quarter was potentially disastrous but he was even better than the box score indicated and his willingness to push the ball down the field has been welcomed.
If you’ve been watching the All-22 every week, you’d know that Calvin Austin III has been getting open more consistently than he did last...
