The Steelers rank third in the NFL in sacks with 38, behind only the Panthers (41) and the 49ers (44). They're led by a dynamic duo at outside linebacker who each had a sack in the team's 16-10 win over the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.
T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree have been dominant forces all season, and we look at how they did it again by beating the Bengals:
The Bengals tried different methods to avoid Watt and keep him from making a difference, but few of their ideas worked. The first play of the game was a stretch run play to the left, away from Watt. They leave him unblocked, which allows him to come off the line freely and make a play on Giovani Bernard.
Watch how seamless Watt's pursuit to the ball is and how he wraps Bernard with a form tackle for loss:
But even when the Bengals did assign someone to block Watt, it didn't go well. Bobby Hart was left all alone against Watt and got abused for the game's first sack and forced fumble. Watt has been very good this season at mixing up his pass rush moves to beat opponents, but here he doesn't even need to do much, as a simple rip move gets under Hart's hands and leads him right to Ryan Finley:
Watt leads the team with 11.5 sacks through 11 games, an insane pace that could land him as the all-time single-season sack leader for the Steelers to surpass James Harrison's 16 sacks in 2008.
But right behind Watt is Dupree with seven sacks, including the closing defensive play for the Steelers when he sacked and stripped Finley late in the fourth, while also recovering the very fumble he forced.
Dupree is matched up one-on-one with Cordy Glenn and uses his explosiveness to easily work around Glenn for the sack. Watch how he starts slow on his pass rush, only to quickly accelerate around the edge and come back to chop at the ball, force the fumble and recover it:
Just as Watt has improved in his pass rush moves, Dupree has greatly improved his pursuit angles and how he approaches the edge. Dupree used to overrun the pocket while utilizing his explosiveness off the ball, missing the point of creating pressure.
But this season he's found a way to use that explosiveness while also targeting the pocket and sharpening his attack angle. Notice on the last sack how he's able to come back down on Finley before he forces the fumble.
Both players are playing at a Pro Bowl level, and have become one of the deadliest duos at rushing the passer in the NFL. Watt, especially, is playing at an All-Pro level that puts him in the conversation for the team MVP award, which I predicted he would win before the season started.
Carter’s Classroom needs your help! We are seeking sponsors for the 2019 NFL season that would be willing to see their brand grow through advertising with us. All interested parties should contact me at christopher@dkpittsburghsports.com.
MORE CLASSROOM
Nov. 25: Snell plays closer again
Nov. 22: Fichtner doing enough?
Nov. 21: Where are the tight ends?
Nov. 20: Right direction for run defense
