It has almost always been a losing proposition for the Pittsburgh Steelers when they don’t have T.J. Watt available to anchor the defense.
The Steelers were 1-10 in the 11 games Watt had missed because of injury during his nine-year career. They just couldn’t compensate for not having a four-time All-Pro available.
However, that changed on Monday night when the Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins 28-15 at Acrisure Stadium. Watt had to watch from home while recovering from lung surgery, but the Steelers’ defense came up big, holding the Dolphins without a touchdown until the fourth quarter.
“Obviously, we were at less than full strength, but everybody is at this point in the season,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “You know, we embrace that component of it and believe in the strength of the pack, and a lot of guys stepped up and made that a truism.”
Watt sustained a collapsed lung last Wednesday while undergoing a dry needling procedure at the Steelers’ practice facility. He underwent surgery the next day, and it is unclear whether he will be able to play in any of the Steelers’ last three regular-season games, including Sunday's game against the Lions in Detroit.
“Will be excited to get T.J. back,” Tomlin said. “Texted him pre-game to let him know he was missed, and I'm sure he's excited about getting back around his teammates sooner rather than later.”
Nate Herbig and rookie Jack Sawyer filled in for Watt. While they each had only one tackle, Tomlin was happy with the way the duo performed.
“We got a lot of confidence in our edge group as a collective, so we're not surprised when they play well,” Tomlin said. “We view Herbig as starter-like, certainly. Excited about the bright side and the future of Jack Sawyer. Not surprised they're able to step in and hold the standard.”
The Steelers held Dolphins running back De’Von Achane to 60 yards in 12 carries. He entered the game as the third-leading rusher in the NFL with 1,126 yards. Tua Tagovailoa completed 22 of 28 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, but most of the yards came after the Steelers built a 28-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Patrick Queen had a team-high 10 tackles, including two for loss, for the Steelers. Asante Samuel Jr. intercepted a pass, and Cameron Heyward, Jalen Ramsey, Payton Wilson, and Esezi Otomewo each had one sack.
“I thought we were able to limit as much as possible,” Heyward said. “Got off the field early in some instances. I thought our tackling was a lot better. But it's not a one-man team, a one-man defense. We all got to thrive. We all got to play our best ball in December.”
The Steelers (8-6) lead the AFC North by one game over the Baltimore Ravens (7-7) with three games remaining. After playing the Lions, the Steelers finish the regular season by hosting the Cleveland Browns (3-11) and Ravens.
The Steelers could use more performances like Monday night’s from a defense that entered the game 28th in the league in total yards allowed.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Heyward said. “We got a lot in front of us, and I love the challenges that are in front of us. I think our group does too.”