The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first of at least four games without star outside linebacker T.J. Watt today in a losing effort to the New England Patriots. The defense registered zero sacks, which is an incredible rarity for them, a week after generating a league-leading seven in the opener, and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year’s absence was palpable in that regard.
Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean everything was bad. And the coaching staff didn’t just rely exclusively on Malik Reed, Jamir Jones, and Delontae Scott to fill the void. Indeed, they also used a heavy nickel front with an extra lineman replacing the left edge rusher often in the game, with rookie DeMarvin Leal seeing opportunities in that way, and generally getting linemen on the end.