Steelers' TJ Watt Has A Critical Matchup Cincinnati May Not Be Able To Protect

The Pittsburgh Steelers do not exactly need help finding ways to create pressure. Their edge room has spent September turning offensive tackles into weekly assignments nobody particularly wants, and the flexibility of moving those rushers around has made preparing for them even less comfortable. Cincinnati presents one especially interesting opportunity Sunday. One side of its offensive line has held up remarkably well. The other may be giving Pittsburgh a reason to move its best pieces around even more aggressively.

Sam Monson believes Orlando Brown Jr. has become the matchup Pittsburgh should actively hunt against the Cincinnati Bengals. Brown remains Cincinnati's starting left tackle, but his early-season pass protection has lagged well behind the work of Amarius Mims on the opposite side.

That creates options for TJ Watt. Pittsburgh can move Watt across the formation and force Brown to handle him, or leave Watt elsewhere and send another member of its loaded edge group toward what Monson considers Cincinnati's most vulnerable spot.

During a recent matchup breakdown, Monson explained why the contrast between Cincinnati's tackles has caught his attention.

“Right now, Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle is looking like the weakest link on that offensive line and certainly a massive weak link relative to the other side… Watch [Amarius Mims] against Watt and company. It’ll be fun… Meanwhile, on the other side of the line, Orlando Brown Jr. is struggling against that caliber of player. So whether or not you get the snaps of T.J. Watt going to that side or whether it’s just the other edge rushers they have on that side, that’s an area that they can exploit,” Monson said.

The early numbers strengthen his argument. Pro Football Focus has Brown graded 61st among 66 qualified tackles in pass protection through two games. He has allowed six pressures, including three sacks and three quarterback hits across 74 pass-blocking snaps. Mims, meanwhile, has opened the season much cleaner and posted a 93% pass-block win rate despite already dealing with Houston's dangerous collection of edge rushers.

That difference matters because Pittsburgh no longer treats Watt like a piece glued permanently to one side of the formation.

Watt has already talked positively about Pittsburgh's willingness to move its edge rushers, with Alex Highsmith capable of flipping sides and Nick Herbig giving the Steelers another legitimate pass-rushing threat. Watt even recorded his Week 1 pick-six while aligned over the offense's right tackle rather than staying in his traditional location.

That flexibility should make Cincinnati's protection meeting considerably more annoying.

The Bengals cannot simply decide Mims gets Watt all afternoon and construct their protection around that matchup. Pittsburgh can force Brown to deal with Watt on selected snaps, send Highsmith toward him instead or use Herbig as part of the rotation. If Cincinnati begins sliding protection toward its left tackle, the attention itself can create better opportunities somewhere else.

There is also no guarantee Pittsburgh needs to chase Brown on every passing down. Mims' strong start deserves respect, but Watt is not an ordinary edge rusher. He already has 3.5 sacks through two games, while Highsmith has three of his own. Watt currently leads the NFL in sack percentage on his pass-rush snaps, with Highsmith ranking third. Pittsburgh can attack whichever matchup produces the protection it wants rather than behaving as though one tackle must be avoided entirely.

That becomes particularly important against Joe Burrow. Houston sacked him five times last week, and Cincinnati has seen Burrow blitzed at a 36% rate through two games, far above what he has historically encountered. The Bengals still escaped Houston at 2-0, but their protection has already shown that enough pressure can make an offense loaded with weapons considerably less comfortable.

Pittsburgh's challenge will be attacking Brown without becoming predictable. A weakness stops being especially useful once the offense knows exactly how the defense intends to target it. Showing Watt on Brown's side before moving him elsewhere can be almost as valuable as leaving him there, particularly if the Bengals alter a protection or keep another player involved because of the threat.

Steelers Can Force Cincinnati To Pick Its Protection Problem

Monson's observation gives Pittsburgh something better than one favorable matchup. It gives the defense a pressure point capable of changing how Cincinnati protects the entire front. If the Bengals leave Brown alone and Pittsburgh believes his early struggles are real, the Steelers have several edge rushers capable of testing him repeatedly. If Cincinnati sends help, another eligible receiver or blocker becomes occupied with Watt, Highsmith or Herbig instead of participating normally in the play.

Neither choice guarantees a sack. Brown is a four-time Pro Bowler with years of evidence that he can handle elite competition, and two games are hardly enough to erase an established career. Pittsburgh would be foolish to treat him like a turnstile simply because September has started badly. The Steelers also do not need him to lose every snap.

One pressure can kill a third down. One strip sack can flip possession. One hurried Burrow throw can give Pittsburgh's secondary the opportunity it has spent the opening weeks creating.

Mims may provide Watt with one of Sunday's most entertaining individual battles. Monson believes the more useful matchup could be waiting on the other side. Pittsburgh finally has enough edge-rushing depth to decide where it wants the stress to appear. Brown's early struggles may be inviting the Steelers to make that decision for Cincinnati.

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