The Pittsburgh Steelers game plan on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons involved possessing the ball, taking a few shots when called upon and leaning on the run game. While Smith usually likes utilizing the middle of the field in the passing game, it wasn’t something the Steelers did on Sunday, and Smith said that it was his decision to make sure Falcons S Jessie Bates didn’t take over the game, per The Pat McAfee Show’s Mark Kaboly.
Smith added that Pittsburgh’s “Jason Bourne” in T.J. Watt wrecked the game instead.
“Our Jason Bourne — TJ Watt — wrecked the game, theirs didn’t”
If you look at Justin Fields’ passing chart, per NextGenStats, it’s clear the Steelers avoided the middle of the field entirely in the passing game.