PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The Bengals were coming off an unexpected trip to the Super Bowl. Preseason hype just below that of the Bills to return and they get the Steelers for the season opener at home.
Cincinnati was poised for a second consecutive beatdown of their AFC North rival and yet what happened was one of the best defensive performances in recent memory—seven sacks, four interceptions and a forced fumble in an improbable Steelers win.
TJ Watt goes into Sunday with no expectations of what the stats will be, saying what they did last time to create the chaos.
“Creating good matchups, they were keeping guys in for chipping all day,” Watt said. “You can’t put as many guys out on routes, so it helps the guys on the back end in coverage. We were just able to fluster him a little bit to get back there and make him hold onto it just a tad longer. Being able to finish at the quarterback is always a point of emphasis for rushmen, there weren’t many he got out of.”
“We just let the rush and coverage work together,” said linebacker Myles Jack. “As long as we cover long enough those guys up front should create a lot of havoc. When you can rush four and keep everybody back in coverage, that’s a great combination. We are looking to duplicate that for sure.”
Cincinnati will be without Pro Bowl receiver Ja’Marr Chase. While still high powered on offense with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, Watt has noticed they are riding Joe Mixon. The sixth-year tailback ran for 153 yards and four touchdowns against Carolina.
“Watching the Carolina game, he had a great day,” Jack said. “He will be the focal point of their offense. They have a great running scheme. We are looking to stop it.”
It was Mixon’s first 100-yard game this season, his second-highest total was the 82 he ran for against the Steelers. Last year he ran for 165 yards and a couple of scores and 90 yards in the earlier meeting. He’s run for 729 yards in his career against Pittsburgh with a five-yard a carry average.
“Just how he runs behind his pads, he’s a one-cut back,” Jack said of what makes Mixon so difficult. “Doesn’t do a lot of dancing. Gets north and south and is a tough runner too. He’s going to keep his feet moving on contact. It’s a great challenge, a fun challenge.”
“He’s an all-around back,” Watt said. “He can catch out of the backfield. He can run downhill. He likes to get onto DBs and secondary guys and that’s a tough tackle for anybody to make, let alone guys that are much smaller than him. We have to do as good as a job up front to not get to the secondary.”
You can’t discuss the earlier win without mentioning Minkah Fitzpatrick. The 26-year-old had a Pick Six for the first points of the game, had a game-high 14 tackles and blocked the game-winning extra point on the final play of regulation.
Watt returned last week, does he expect Fitzpatrick to be back eight days after an appendectomy? He’s been cleared to play and we’ll know for sure 90 minutes before kickoff.
“Minkah is a stubborn guy,” Watt said.
“He does what he wants and we just fall in line. I’m happy that he’s going to try to go. Hopefully he’s able to go. He’s a dynamic player for us and an overall tone-setter. If he can play I’ll be excited to have him.”
Jack will return after sitting out last week and said Fitzpatrick is a player they can’t replicate, but says he likes the recent play of his defense. Can they put on a show like they did in Ohio?
Bush praise
Watt enthusiastic when asked about the improvement of linebacker Devin Bush this season. Currently the team’s second leading tackler, Watt points directly to Bush’s relationship with defensive assistant Brian Flores.
“It’s been fun to watch his and Flo’s relationship they kind of butt heads at times, but other than that they are getting the best out of each other,” Watt said. “That’s all you can really ask for. I think Dev is playing good football. He’s playing aggressive. He knows what he’s doing. He’s very comfortable, very decisive out there. I think it’s going to contribute to us having a successful time as a defense down the stretch here.”