The 5: Steelers to watch against the Falcons
The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to take a couple punches to the chin and grab a win over the Indianapolis Colts on ‘Monday Night Football’ but they’re looking ahead to the next matchup. The Steelers will travel for the second week in a row to face the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.
Pittsburgh wants to “stack wins,” which will require them to maintain high-level performances in all aspects of the game, including special teams. Here are four Steelers and one Pittsburgh skill group that fans should keep their eyes on when watching the 2022 NFL Week 13 game.
The running backs
With Najee Harris‘ abdominal injury forcing him to leave the Monday night game, and Jaylen Warren inactive due to injury, Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland took over the run game against the Colts. The Steelers were able to gain critical yardage and should continue to ask this skills group to up their game.
“Benny is a deliberate, one-cut, downhill runner. ‘Ant Mac’ is bursty and explosive and good in space. I thought they leaned on their strengths.” – Mike Tomlin
Warren returned to practice Wednesday, medically cleared after rehabbing a hamstring injury. He indicated he is ready should he be asked to suit-up on Sunday.
The Falcons defense has allowed opponents to gain 1,530 yards against them on the ground through twelve weeks of play. Their opponents are averaging 4.4 yards per carry, and Atlanta has given up 15 rushing touchdowns.
Pickens and Johnson
The top two wide receivers on the Steelers roster had some frustrating moments on Monday night. Both George Pickens and Diontae Johnson were unable to secure passes rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett threw their direction. Other times, the duo made some catches that actually looked, to the eye, to require much more athleticism than the passes they dropped.
“I never want to be the reason we lost.” – George Pickens
Johnson, who has been trying to adjust as a veteran to Pickett’s style, communicated with a frustrated rookie receiver in Pickens during the game against the Colts. “Diontae talking,” Pickens said this week, “it was a coping mechanism, trying to get me back in the groove. He was trying to keep me up.”
With a short recovery period between Monday night and this coming Sunday game, watch for the pair to have improved their relationship and communication with Pickett and each other.
“You can’t let one moment define you and take you out of the game.” – Diontae Johnson
Johnson, Pickett and the Steelers receivers will be working against a Falcons defense has given up the second-most receiving yards to opponents (3,151) in the league this season. Atlanta is also allowing opponents a 68.1 completion percentage on passes and has given up 18 touchdowns to receivers.
Kenny Pickett
As the rookie quarterback continues to be QB1 for Pittsburgh, he’ll be worth watching. Growth has occurred and with added experience, Pickett has made some impressive improvements.
That has been evident when comparing his early games to the last two weeks. Pickett’s early woes included a lack of time with the offensive starters and resulted in miscommunication and eight interceptions.
Beginning Week 10, Pickett has thrown 100 passes, consecutively, without an interception.
He has orchestrated winning drives. He has improved his passing efficiency, used his legs, improved his reads, and helped the Steelers put together two wins in three games, including a fourth-quarter comeback against the Colts.
“I’m getting more comfortable with the system… I’ll continue to draw on the good and learn from the bad.” – Kenny Pickett
Pickett hasn’t turned into a haphazard gunslinger under pressure, though. He has completed a lower percentage of pass attempts but has taken care of the ball to bump-up his overall passer rating. He’s made defenses hit him in the face, literally at times, to keep the chains – and the offense – moving.
T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith
Since returning from injury, Watt has been seeing a lot of attention being given to him by opposing offenses, for good reasons. Watt is a human wrecking ball that can ruin any offense’s best laid plans.
While teams double-team Watt, though, they are often unable to keep Highsmith out of their backfield, though. That has resulted in Highsmith earning 10.0 sacks this season. He’s tied at fifth-highest sack totals in the league right now with Chris Jones, Myles Garrett, and Brian Burns.
The Falcons are allowing opponents a 94.6 sacks percentage. Marcus Mariota has been sacked 27 times this season, losing 188 yards on those plays. Due to pressures, Mariota has also thrown eight interceptions.
To say that Watt and Highsmith could be game-changers on Sunday is an understatement.
Falcons Week. #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/ciKLVCoaTt
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 1, 2022
