With Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, and DeMarvin Leal set to miss the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 6 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the pass rush is an area of concern. Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin must find a way to combine depth players with the former Defensive Player of the Year TJ Watt.
Pittsburgh Steelers Get a Watt Reversal
Highsmith practiced this week but won’t play in Las Vegas, and just as Herbig was starting to get an overall feel for the starting lineup, he went down with an injury as well. Leal left the Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys with a neck injury that will also keep him from playing on Sunday. It is the reverse of what the Pittsburgh Steelers have dealt with in the past when Watt dealt with his various injuries. The question then was how to fill Watt’s spot to a successful degree, but now it is about finding a mixture that can complement Watt in rushing the passer.
With the trio of defenders out for Week 6, Austin will have to put together a defensive game plan that can still create pressure off the edge. At the very least, the performance will have to be a vast improvement over the unexpected stumbles early against the Indianapolis Colts and late against the Cowboys—both losses. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has built a career on prioritizing defense. With a group of talented edge rushers injured, that perspective will be needed to avoid another three-game losing streak.
New Faces On Steelers Defense
Instead of Highsmith, Herbig, and Leal, Watt will be playing opposite a combination of players who are far from household names in Pittsburgh. Jeremiah Moon was activated from Injured Reserve (IR) and played his 2023 rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Pittsburgh Steelers could call up one or two practice squad players besides Moon. Rookie Jacoby Windmon, Eku Leota, or Ade Ogundeji could be utilized as depth players behind Watt and Moon on Sunday, depending on how Austin wants to approach the road test.
Windmon would be playing the first defensive snaps of his NFL career. Leota has one career sack in two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, and the fourth-year Ogundeji brings the most experience, with 32 games played and three sacks to his name. Whoever backs up Pittsburgh’s starting pass rushers will be thrown into the fire. After two consecutive losses, falling to 3-2, the Pittsburgh Steelers know how important it is to come away from Las Vegas with a win. Whoever gives the team the best chance to win is the player who will have the opportunity to make their mark.
Conclusion
The pressure is on Austin to find a way for an injury-plagued pass rush not to become the defense’s weak point. Watt is an otherworldly talent, but Sunday will test whether the newly turned 30-year-old can still take over a game without someone else pulling focus on the opposite side. The secondary will have plenty of responsibility to hold their coverage long enough for the pass rush to reach the quarterback, with veteran Minkah Fitzpatrick having to step up in particular.
For the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers to be successful down the stretch, the defense will need to learn how to win in a variety of ways. If Austin can find a way to make that happen against a depleted Raiders roster, it would be a big step toward becoming a more well-rounded unit. The next three games are crucial for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a victory in Las Vegas would spark some hope that the two-game losing streak was an outlier in an otherwise impressive 2024 campaign.
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