Pittsburgh Steelers: Studs and duds vs. Bills in Week 15
By Samuel Teets
Stud: T.J. Watt, OLB
It wasn’t a great pass rushing night, but that didn’t stop Watt from having a more considerable impact on the game. In the third quarter, Devin Singletary ripped off a nice run for Buffalo.
It looked like the Bills would have the ball close to Pittsburgh’s red zone, but Watt swung in behind Singletary and punched the ball out. Mike Hilton recovered for the Steelers. Of course, Pittsburgh’s offense wasted the free possession and gave it right back to Buffalo.
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Watt also came in clutch early in the fourth quarter, when he contributed to a pair of tackles for losses that ended a Bills red zone drive. Buffalo settled for a field goal, tying the game at ten apiece.
The future All-Pro finished the night with four tackles, a half-sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, one pass defense and two quarterback hits. Watt is tied for the league-lead in forced fumbles with six. At 13 sacks, he needs some big performances in the final two weeks of the season to catch James Harrison‘s official franchise single-season record of 16.
Dud: Diontae Johnson, WR
While Johnson isn’t having a standout rookie season, the third-round pick has flashed signs of brilliance. Last week, he basically won the Steelers the game against Arizona. There’s a strong foundation to build on for Johnson, but he might have cost Pittsburgh the game last night.
With under two minutes to go in the second quarter, the Steelers were in the red zone thanks to a Steven Nelson interception. Pittsburgh tried to run the wildcat with James Connor and Johnson, but Johnson lost control of the football and fumbled. The Bills recovered. At the time, Pittsburgh trailed 7-3. They lost the game by a touchdown.
Johnson also fumbled early in the third quarter, but Tevin Jones recovered the loose ball. Johnson has put the ball on the turf five times this season, meaning he needs to work on ball security going into Year 2.
On a more positive note, the rookie caught five of the seven passes that went his way for 62 yards. Johnson is averaging 3.4 receptions and 38.9 receiving yards per game this season.