Last season, for the fifth straight year, the Pittsburgh Steelers led the entire NFL in sacks with 55, obviously paced by the AP Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt, who tied the single-season sack record of 22.5, set by Giants’ Hall Of Famer Michael Strahan back in the 2001 season. This feat is absolutely incredible, considering they played the overwhelming majority of the season without starting nose tackle Tyson Alualu, and the entire season without standout defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who was fresh off his finest season in 2020, when he recorded 11 sacks, a career-best.
With the recent retirement of Tuitt, this obviously dealt a blow to the defensive line, which was ravaged by injuries last year, and which undoubtedly played a part in the unit’s dead-last ranking against the run.