Steelers' TJ Watt Faces A Brutal Rematch With The Man Who Shut Him Down

The Pittsburgh Steelers have watched TJ Watt wreck plenty of offensive game plans, but their biggest divisional showdown comes with an uncomfortable reminder. One opponent already found a way to make him almost disappear. Pittsburgh survived that afternoon, but another quiet outing could cost the AFC North lead.

That opponent is Amarius Mims, the Cincinnati Bengals right tackle who got the better of Watt in Pittsburgh's 30-27 victory on September 27. Watt finished with one assisted tackle and no sacks. Pro Football Focus didn't credit him with a single pressure. For a player who opened the season with 3.5 sacks in two games, it was an unusually uneventful afternoon.

NBC Sports broadcaster Jac Collinsworth highlighted the matchup during a PFF NFL Show preview.

“The other matchup that I think is going to be really fascinating for me to watch is the Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims, who has really been the standout star of that offensive line, going up against TJ Watt. And he had a pretty good day against TJ Watt the first time, right? I don't think TJ had much of anything in the statistical categories,” Collinsworth said.

He wasn't exaggerating. Cincinnati reported that Mims played most of his 57 offensive snaps against Watt without allowing him a pressure. Through three games, the former first-round pick had gone 111 pass-blocking snaps without surrendering a single pressure, according to PFF. Doing it to Watt after he'd started the season terrorizing everybody else is a pretty compelling introduction.

Mims is 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds, but his size only tells part of the story. He has the feet to stay in front of speed rushers and the length to prevent them from getting into his chest. When Watt tries to bend around the corner, Mims can meet him before he reaches the quarterback's depth. When Watt attacks inside, the tackle has enough balance to avoid opening a free lane.

The protection has held up beyond that September performance. Cincinnati's coaches praised Mims this week after he allowed no pressures in the Bengals' 34-17 victory over Atlanta. The Bengals are 6-2, and their passing attack is rolling. Joe Burrow leads the league with 23 touchdown passes and a 74% completion rate. He doesn't need the offensive line to build him a fortress for six seconds; he needs clean space long enough to find the matchup he likes.

Watt hasn't spent the past month looking helpless, either. He has 7.5 sacks through eight games and collected two in Pittsburgh's most recent victory over Cleveland. That makes the first meeting with Mims an exception worth studying, not evidence that the former Defensive Player of the Year has lost a step.

Collinsworth made clear how closely he expects the matchup to be tracked on Sunday night.

“We are going to be watching that matchup every snap. That doesn't mean we're going to put it on every snap, but you're going to have some idea of how that battle is going in great detail,” he said.

There's a broader reason to study every rep. Pittsburgh's four-man rush challenge matters against a quarterback as precise as Burrow. Send an extra rusher and someone must cover more ground against Cincinnati's receivers. Drop seven and Watt's matchup with Mims becomes even more important. The Steelers cannot simply ask their secondary to hold up forever while the pass rush searches for an opening.

Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham does have options. Watt has lined up on both edges this season, and moving him can keep Cincinnati from settling into the same protection plan all night. Graham can also use stunts and simulated pressures to force the Bengals to sort out unfamiliar assignments. But those wrinkles need to create genuine confusion. Burrow is too experienced to panic just because the defense shows six players near the line.

Steelers Need More Than Watt's Reputation On Sunday

Pittsburgh doesn't need Watt to embarrass Mims on national television. One decisive pressure at the right moment might be worth more than six harmless wins in the first quarter. The Steelers proved that in September, when a late strip-sack elsewhere on the line helped preserve the victory.

Still, expecting another game-saving play after allowing Burrow to throw comfortably is a dangerous way to defend a division lead. Graham needs a plan that gives Watt different routes to the quarterback while respecting how well Mims handled him the first time.

Collinsworth has identified a battle that could explain the entire game without showing up on the scoreboard. If Mims wins again, Burrow gets more chances to attack Pittsburgh's coverage. If Watt starts making him uncomfortable, the Bengals' carefully timed passing game could get messy in a hurry. That's a rematch worth watching far beyond the box score.

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